


The Tainted Claim

by kristhaswaggerdaddy



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Urban Fantasy, Angst, M/M, Supernatural Elements, Vampires, Werewolves
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-28
Updated: 2018-02-28
Packaged: 2019-03-25 03:27:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 232,065
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13825500
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kristhaswaggerdaddy/pseuds/kristhaswaggerdaddy
Summary: A walk in the woods takes a dangerous turn that changes Kyungsoo's life.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I................... am honestly so tired of people asking me to reupload this that i finally did it just to get everyone off my back about this, lol. I'm also going to say that this is not one of my best work, I'm not sure why people love it so much but of course, it's still appreciated nonetheless, I just,,,,,,,, would rather have you check out my other works on here as well. ALSO, this fic has gone through quite some drama too and ion wanna see no drama anymore with it. I'm talking plagiarism, COPYING THE CONCEPTS and the like. I also don't take requests to translate this into other languages simply because I don't want the essence of the story to be misinterpreted in any way. You'll just have to read it in English or not at all. And lastly, I WILL take down any reposts in english or other languages. It's my fucking fic not yours so have some originality

In a world where humans dominated the land and seas, werewolves and vampires were considered scum of the Earth, infected with a demonic disease that started in Transylvania. No one really knew how Dracula managed to turn himself into a vampire, and no one had ever figured out how his pet dog became a werewolf. Perhaps it was its master’s mere evil presence? Or perhaps it was the result of an experiment gone wrong? No one knows.

But what people do know is that vampires and werewolves kill. Consumed by bloodlust, they would kill anything and anyone, be it a foolish young man walking the streets in the night or a deer rustling through the woods at the wrong time.

People fear what they do not understand, and for that, they came up with various ways to rid the world of these foul beings. Pushing them to the brink of extinction, humans staked the vampires and pierced the hearts of werewolves with silver. In the present time, encountering a vampire or werewolf is very unlikely, although if you ever did, you would never live to tell the tale.

The vampires and werewolves had Marks that singled them out from a crowd of humans. Vampires had blood red eyes, while werewolves had yellow eyes the color of egg yolks. Vampires could not walk in the Sun, whereas the werewolves could. It was believed that two in every ten people were werewolves, and they could lead normal lives during the day but become beasts at night. That was only a problem until a brilliant scientist of his time came up with the invention of a device that detected lycanthropy in one’s blood. A Purge then occurred back in the 1970s, and for that, werewolves have sworn their revenge against humans, that one day, werewolves would rule and the vampires and werewolves could live without looking over their shoulders.

Many claim that the vampires and werewolves are cursed. Yet it is the humans who live in perpetual fear, striking out at the unknown. Who are the ones cursed? The Purebloods, or the Tainted?

  


 


	2. in the land of gods and monsters, I was an angel... living in a garden of evil

Kyungsoo kicked a stone aside, head bowed as he listened to Baekhyun, his best friend since they were in nursery school, humming to a song. It was winter, and the wind had a bite to it as it blew across the plains, but there was yet to be snow. Still, Kyungsoo and Baekhyun were on their nightly walk, strolling through the town’s winding roads quietly as they talked about life, school, love. Kyungsoo appreciated these walks, had always loved how the town settled into a comfortable silence in the background.

He didn’t know when they started these walks, perhaps sometime during middle school, but he knew that he was nowhere near tired of it yet, even if his mother kept bugging him about how a vampire or a wolf could be prowling around, looking for a victim. Kyungsoo had always brushed her warnings aside; there hadn’t been an attack in the area for _years_. When else could he fit exercise into his schedule anyway?

“College kinda sucks,” Baekhyun stated, his breath puffing in front of him. Tonight, Baekhyun had suggested walking a big round around town tonight to see the acres and acres of fields surrounding their little town. Kyungsoo had readily agreed, since the last day of the semester was a week ago, and he had ample free time for now. “You’re in music, how does that suck?” Kyungsoo laughed.

“I don’t know, it’s a bit more competitive than I expected,” Baekhyun replied. “What do you even do at accounting, Kyungsoo? I never see you do homework or shit like that,” Baekhyun said, turning to walk backwards to face Kyungsoo. “Sometimes they let me do the accounts for a few companies,” Kyungsoo shrugged. “It’s easy for me, and I never have to go out or do anything big,” he said, smiling easily.

 Baekhyun had always been the louder one of the two best friends, so it was no surprise that Baekhyun wanted to pursue music while Kyungsoo took an easy way out; accounting. Numbers were familiar to him, the way they added up no matter how you rearranged them. It was no problem for him, and so, seemed like the most plausible career to pursue. Maybe he could be an auditor someday, but until then he still had two more years of school before he had to decide. Kyungsoo was more than happy to push it to the distant future.

“Don’t you get bored?” Baekhyun asked absently, peering at the moon. Kyungsoo shook his head. “Never,” he answered, nudging at Baekhyun. “What about you? Don’t you get bored dating Chanyeol?” Kyungsoo asked. Baekhyun made a face at him. “He’s amazing, why would I be bored with him?”

“Exactly what I feel about accounts,” Kyungsoo declared. Baekhyun scoffed and laughed, shaking his head. “Oh, Kyungsoo,” Baekhyun sighed. “When are you ever going to get a boyfriend like that,” Baekhyun asked. Promptly, he tripped over a rock and fell over on his back yelling obscenities, his arms flailing in the air.

Kyungsoo tried to pull him up but couldn’t stop laughing at Baekhyun’s expression, tears rolling out of his eyes. “Jesus Christ, Kyungsoo, couldn’t you have warned me?” Baekhyun muttered, getting up on his feet. He groaned, stretching here and there as his bones cracked loudly. “You were shouting so loudly I thought your mom would wake up,” Kyungsoo laughed, bending down to hold his knees as his chest threatened to explode.

“Ha di har-har,” Baekhyun said, trying to redo his hair. “Don’t worry, you still look pretty,” Kyungsoo said, trying to suppress his laughter. “You’re a dick,” Baekhyun said, hitting Kyungsoo on the arm. Kyungsoo just laughed till his face was red under the streetlight, his eyes tearing up.

“Let’s just move on,” he said, pointing ahead, and they both continued walking, the plains on their right stretching as far as the eye could see, and the woods on their left. “I should’ve recorded it to show Chanyeol,” Kyungsoo said, still snorting and unable to shake off the incident just yet.

Baekhyun was about to reply, but then he closed his mouth, looking into the woods. “Kyungsoo,” Baekhyun said slowly. “Kyungsoo, do you hear that?” Baekhyun asked. They had stopped walking, the tar crunching underneath his shoes.

Kyungsoo scoffed at him, trying to swipe at Baekhyun. “Quit playing,” he said, while trying to ruffle Baekhyun’s hair. “No, Kyungsoo, seriously!” Baekhyun said, trying to avoid Kyungsoo’s hands. “Don’t you hear anything?”

“Hear what?” Kyungsoo asked, glancing at the woods over on the other side of the road. They were walking on a road that was rarely used because trees from the woods kept falling over, blocking the road during rush hour. It was perfect to take a night walk, as there were no cars around and no houses built in this area.

“Exactly, Kyungsoo. There’s nothing,” Baekhyun said. Kyungsoo blinked and then noticed what Baekhyun meant. There were no cicadas, no rabbits jumping through the woods, no rats running across the road every once in a while. It was dead silent when the wind wasn’t blowing in Kyungsoo’s ears, which was weird. The woods had been busy with activity just a minute ago.

“Maybe ‘cause you yelled so loudly?” Kyungsoo suggested. “But it’s so weird,” Baekhyun said, shuffling to stand closer to Kyungsoo. “I heard birds chirping just a while ago and there’s nothing,” Baekhyun said, reaching out to hold Kyungsoo’s arm. “Why don’t we walk a little further ahead and see if it’s still like that?” Kyungsoo asked, and Baekhyun nodded.

They took tentative steps as they continued on the road. There were streetlights which eased Kyungsoo somewhat, but if anything were to happen here… Kyungsoo shuddered. No one would know, and no one would be able to help. “I think we’d better head home,” Baekhyun mumbled, holding onto Kyungsoo tightly. “Yeah, I think so too. There’s a shortcut up ahead there, I think,” Kyungsoo pointed at a point where the road twisted to the left. “Hey, isn’t there a small house in that corner?” Baekhyun said.

“I remember when my dad used to drive me to school, and every time he turned the corner, there’d be a house in the trees,” Baekhyun recalled. “But does anyone live there?” Kyungsoo asked, at which Baekhyun frowned.

“I don’t… think so but… What if there’s like, y’know,” Baekhyun said softly, lowering his voice. “What if there’s something Tainted out there?”

At that moment, Kyungsoo and Baekhyun froze as a howl rang through the trees, louder than anything he’d ever heard in his life. They looked at the woods in fear, knees trembling as they stood frozen in their tracks. A pair of yellow eyes slowly came into focus in the darkness, blinking as it stared Kyungsoo and Baekhyun down.

“Kyungsoo…” Baekhyun’s voice cracked. They both took a step back as the pair of eyes glowed brightly like fireflies, small twigs and branches crackling in the dark. “I think we should run,” Kyungsoo said bluntly, before they tore down the road, trees crashing behind them.

Kyungsoo ran as he had never before in his life, heading desperately towards the house as Baekhyun had said. Who knew if the house was inhibited? Right now, Kyungsoo rather preferred to be alive than dead, at least for a few more minutes.

By some miracle, Kyungsoo and Baekhyun managed to outrun the wolf by mere inches and pure adrenaline as they leaped into the house, crashing the door down with their weight. “Where do we hide?!” Baekhyun cried, tears running his cheeks as he trembled violently. Kyungsoo struggled to maintain common sense as fear threatened to give him a panic attack. They looked around desperately as the wolf tore through the doorway, smashing the wooden walls in pieces. “Upstairs!” Kyungsoo yelled, pointing at a small staircase hidden in the kitchen. _Thank God for the olden times_ , Kyungsoo thought. There was no way he would turn around to take the main stairs, that was for sure.

“Overturn that shelf,” Kyungsoo said as Baekhyun scampered behind him. The wolf seemed to be looking for them with cunning, human intelligence; Kyungsoo could hear its claws scratching against the wooden flooring as it paced around. Kyungsoo firmly took the shelf into his hands, grunting as he pulled it out of its place. Baekhyun gathered his senses enough to help Kyungsoo drag it out, and pushed at it to block the wolf from coming after them. How big it was, Kyungsoo didn’t know, but he wasn’t going to wait to find out.

Just as the shelf crashed over the sink, a dark figure appeared before Kyungsoo, and he let out a shriek, pushing at Baekhyun to go up the stairs. Their screams rang out through the house as the duo tripped over the stairs, their legs barely able to hold them up from fear.

“Get into one of the rooms,” Kyungsoo ordered, pushing Baekhyun once again. They flung open the first door they saw, looking around for a good hiding place. “The wolf will have to sniff us out, so we’ll need something to mask our scent,” Kyungsoo said, shutting the door behind him. The first room they entered was a plain bedroom, with only a broken bed frame in the centre of the room. "Oh my god," Baekhyun moaned as he realized that there wasn't a place to hide.

Apart from a grimy window, Kyungsoo himself couldn't think of a way to escape either. "Kyungsoo, what do we do?" Baekhyun wailed. They jumped when the door splintered down its middle, revealing a growling figure trying to reach through the door.

Think, Kyungsoo, he urged himself, clenching his fists so tightly that his knuckles were white. Any moment now, and he could be the next Tainted victim with his face all over the front pages of newspapers tomorrow, one of dozens over the years.

 _This isn't how I thought I'd go_ , Kyungsoo thought bitterly. And Baekhyun isn't any help either-- "Over here!" Baekhyun waved, standing beside a wall. "There's a bathroom here," Baekhyun said, pointing frantically. As it turned out, the wall wasn't a wall. Because it was so dark in the room, Kyungsoo had mistaken the door as part of a wall.

Baekhyun had just begun to shut the door when the one outside broke in half, the heavy slab of wood falling to the floor noisily. Baekhyun whimpered loudly, twisting the lock in his shaking fingers. "Is there anywhere to hide or something?" he asked, leaning on the door heavily. "Not really," Kyungsoo replied absently.

"Jesus, Kyungsoo," Baekhyun breathed. A low growl from behind the door made him shiver, and he pressed all of his weight. Kyungsoo reached out to hold something, anything, because this is it. It was the end for him and Baekhyun, and who knows when they'll find their corpses-

"Whoa!" Kyungsoo slipped on a puddle of water, going backwards. Baekhyun immediately pulled away from the door, knowing full well that his efforts were futile; the creature was bound to barge in sooner or later. Baekhyun caught the tips of Kyungsoo's finger as he fell –unexpectedly-- into the bathtub. At first, Kyungsoo didn't notice anything strange about falling into a bathtub, he was in a bathroom after all, but when he realized that his jacket was starting to get soaking wet, he knew that something was definitely up. Sadly, there wasn’t a second to spare to think about how a bathtub in an abandoned house could be filled with noticeably clean water.

Baekhyun gripped his wrist as Kyungsoo sank into the tub slowly and tried to pull him up, but practically shrieked in Kyungsoo's ears when the door came crashing down. In his panic, he flung himself into the tub as well, to Kyungsoo's dismay.

"Baekhyun, you're drowning me here," Kyungsoo tried to say amidst splashing water and Baekhyun’s arms in his face. Kyungsoo didn’t think he heard though, because Baekhyun wailed, "I don't wanna die," burying himself deep underwater, thus pushing Kyungsoo down under as well. Kyungsoo barely got a chance to breathe before he went underwater.

Even in the water, Kyungsoo could hear Baekhyun making whimpering noises, and Kyungsoo slapped him over the head, trying to keep him quiet. He really didn’t know why he was putting up with Baekhyun’s nonsense; he should’ve just pushed him up and just faced the wolf. He was dead meat anyway, might as well greet the thing.

But there was something about the water, something about the silence even as Kyungsoo could see the wolf peering down at him inches away from his face. It had white fur with black tips like a husky, although its eyes were a dead giveaway; it was no pedigree pet dog. It snarled at Kyungsoo and he shut his eyes. He sank further down into the tub, wanting the silence to last.

*

Kyungsoo stirred from his slumber, lingering between lucidity and reality. His comforter felt snug beneath his skin, the soft cotton was warm like the sun…

He flicked an eye open, expecting to see his alarm clock. It was a little darker than usual though… _Where’s my alarm?_ Kyungsoo thought groggily. Perhaps it had fallen over, it happened during the night sometimes when he swiped his comforter around too hard when he was asleep. He felt around with left hand, touching the sides of the bed and then pillows. _Wait, I only have one pillow—_

Kyungsoo sat up in bed, looking at the pile of pillows next to him. It was covered by a thick blanket which, to Kyungsoo’s horror, he was using. _Why is the pile of pillows breathing?_ He flipped the blanket over and gasped loudly in the thick silence of the room.

A sleeping, _naked_ figure lay on the bed, soundly asleep, facing Kyungsoo’s direction. Even with the poor lighting from the moon outside Kyungsoo could see lots and lots of naked flesh, which was generally too much for him. Kyungsoo looked away quickly, getting up from the bed clumsily. _Where the fuck am I?_ Kyungsoo thought, feeling around the room. All the events of the night before – or had it been days? They came back at him like a freight train, and he almost couldn’t breathe when he thought of what might’ve happened to Baekhyun.

He tried to find his way through the heavy darkness of the room, hoping he wouldn’t wake up whoever the guy was sleeping in bed. The walls were some kind of smooth stonework, the surface of the wall jutting and receding into the wall in no order at all. Add that to the fact that it was hella dark and Kyungsoo had no idea where he was, he stumbled around the room, tripping over things. Then he felt a doorknob in his hand, and in his haste, twisted it without thinking.

Candle lights flickered as Kyungsoo stepped out of the room, squinting at his surroundings.

“Baekhyun?” Kyungsoo called out feebly. Kyungsoo looked left and right, finding himself in an empty hallway. There was no one at all, and the hall gave no clue as to where he was; there was a window larger than his apartment and Baekhyun’s combined at the end of one hallway, and a few doors lining the walls towards the other end. The floor was made of wood, but the walls were made of the same strange stone, dark and smooth.

In any case, he still had look for Baekhyun. He threw a glance behind him to make sure that the guy was still asleep, whoever he was, and closed the door quietly, shivering when the wind blew from outside, making the window shudder. Kyungsoo thought it was weird that he was shivering when he clearly remembered his soaking parka…

He looked down to find that he wasn’t wearing his own clothes. It was a loose, white cotton top, with long puffy sleeves and drawstrings at the neck. It looked like something the Phantom of the Opera would wear, and it looked far too thin for anyone to wear during winter.

His pants were gone too, spirited away to who knows where, leaving him with his boxers and nothing else. Kyungsoo shrugged; there wasn't much he could do except to go on. Kyungsoo tiptoed to an identical door across the one he just left, praying that Baekhyun would be behind it. He held the doorknob in his hands, taking a deep breath before he turned it, pushing the door inwards.

Kyungsoo was greeted by a squeal, followed by a muffled thump. He didn't know what to expect, but the last thing he expected to see was a young girl, about his own age in a nightgown (who wears nightgowns anymore) staring at him in shock, rather than fear.

She had lit up a lamp by her bedside table and waited for him to say something while he stood there at her door frame blankly. "Why have you come, sire?" she asked, clutching her blanket to her chest.

"I-- where's Baekhyun?" he blurted. She cocked her head to one side. "Do you mean your companion, sire?"

"Well, um. Yeah, I guess," Kyungsoo frowned as she got up. "Where are you going?" She pulled out a pair of bedroom slippers from under her bed. "To show you to your companion, sire," she replied calmly. "Why do you talk like that?" he asked. She sounded like a maid from the Victorian era. All she need was a black gown with a frilly apron and she would be good to go.

"I'm sorry, sir," she bowed her head, her hands clasped together. Up close she looked like an ordinary girl, with light brown eyes and long hair. "T-that's not what I meant," Kyungsoo started to say, but then he stopped.

 _Maybe she was just raised differently_ , Kyungsoo thought. "It's fine," he mumbled. "Could you just show me where Baekhyun is, if it isn't too much trouble?" he asked, trying to change the subject.

She looked up at him and furrowed her thin eyebrows. “Didn’t Master tell you where your companion was?”

“M-Master? Master of what?” he laughed nervously. Then she bit her lip, looking at him in a strange way. “Forgive me, sire. Your companion’s chambers are this way,” she held out a hand towards the hallway, and he nodded stiffly, deciding not to ask any more questions, even though he was dying to question her; why was

 she so ready to help him? Where was he? Why was that guy sleeping in bed with him? Who in the world is Master?

She led him out of the hallway, passing through more empty hallways lit with torches hung on the walls. Kyungsoo felt like he was walking through one of those video games that Baekhyun played with Chanyeol sometimes, where they had to slay dragons and werewolves. Kyungsoo wondered if this was all just a trick, if this was just some elaborate prank. _But then where did the wolf come from?_

Finally, they reached another hallway, stopping in front of a door that was practically on the other end of the place. Through the large glass windows, Kyungsoo could see vast plains that didn’t look familiar to him, with the hills and valleys covered in grass. There were tiny lights in the distance, but Kyungsoo thought it was weird that he had never seen such a big place like this from town. Surely a place with ceilings as high up as fifty feet could be seen from a distance?

The girl curtsied at Kyungsoo, and he didn’t know what to do, so he just bowed back at her, causing her to blink and blush.

“Your companion is here, with the young Master,” she told him, knocking on the door. There was silence, before a, “Come in,” reverberated through the door. She gestured at him to enter, and so Kyungsoo pushed the door open, not really knowing what to expect.

Kyungsoo could hardly believe his eyes. Baekhyun was on a king sized bed with a canopy in the middle of the room, surrounded by pillows of every shade. The room was visibly brighter than the rest of the place, and the sudden light made him tear up. Baekhyun had been fiddling with ribbons of some sort when the girl shut the door behind Kyungsoo with a clang, and he looked up.

“Kyungsoo!” he yelled, jumping off the bed. As he ran towards Kyungsoo, he realized that Baekhyun was wearing a teal nightgown made of silk, with his hair mussed up as if he had just been playing roughly a minute ago. _Or having sex_ , the thought came unbidden to Kyungsoo. Baekhyun leapt and wound his arms and legs onto Kyungsoo, making him lose his balance. Kyungsoo fell to the carpeted ground with an oof as Baekhyun hugged him tightly. “Kyungsoo, you made it!” he was shouting.

“What the hell are you wearing?” Kyungsoo asked breathlessly, Baekhyun squeezing him so hard that he thought his liver would shoot out of his mouth like a bar of wet soap. “What, this? It’s pretty, right?” Baekhyun let him go to show off his nightgown.

“Who is it, Baekhyun?” a gentle voice asked from somewhere behind them. “Oh, Luhan, meet my friend I was telling you about! Kyungsoo, meet Luhan,” Baekhyun said, getting off of him to pull Kyungsoo up. He gave him a hand, and Kyungsoo took it, groaning as he got up. He turned to find a baby faced guy standing a few feet from them, staring at Kyungsoo curiously. “Hi?” Kyungsoo said.

“Hello there. I’m Luhan,” he replied, smiling at him politely. “Did Kai let you out? I thought he was sleeping,” he said, coming closer to him. He was wearing loose clothing which didn’t look very different from what Kyungsoo was dressed in. “Who’s Kai?” he squinted, not recognizing the name.

“Omigod, Kyungsoo, there’s so much I have to tell you!” Baekhyun squealed, taking his hands and skipping over to the bed. “Tell me what? And why was a naked guy sleeping next to me?” Kyungsoo asked. Baekhyun clambered onto the bed and Kyungsoo joined him. Luhan came over as well, sitting next to Baekhyun.

“Okay, Kyungsoo, guess what! Luhan’s a werewolf,” Baekhyun said brightly. Kyungsoo immediately felt his eyes widening as he looked at Luhan up and down. “What?!” he shrieked, turning to climb off the bed. _Oh God, a werewolf in the same room as me—_

Kyungsoo was pulled back onto the bed by Baekhyun who tugged firmly him by the collar. “Okay, that wasn’t the best start,” he said absently. Luhan looked disappointed to see Kyungsoo’s reaction, but he couldn’t find it in himself to care; a werewolf was wild and vicious, and Kyungsoo preferred to keep his distance from Luhan if he was truly a werewolf.

“Listen to me,” Baekhyun said firmly, biffing him with a small cushion. “Tell me why we aren’t running away from him right now,” Kyungsoo muttered petulantly. Baekhyun sighed heavily. “Look, he’s a werewolf, but he’s not going to kill us, all right?” Baekhyun said, petting Kyungsoo’s hand.

“Luhan told me that the Tainted ones on Earth are the ones who’ve gone rogue. In actual fact, werewolves and vampires belong here, and they don’t eat people,” Baekhyun stated. He sounded like a teacher feeding a five-year-old kid facts about the world, but Kyungsoo just nodded and told him to go on.

“Luhan here is a prince, y’know,” Baekhyun said, leaning onto Luhan’s shoulder. “And Jongin’s my brother,” Luhan added. Kyungsoo wrinkled his forehead in disbelief.

“No, seriously. Remember when we fell into the bathtub in the abandoned house?” Baekhyun asked.

 ** _Luhan_** slung ** _an arm over Baekhyun’s shoulder, leaving Kyungsoo to wonder what would happen if he did that in front of Chanyeol. “You mean when you drowned me?” Kyungsoo deadpanned._**

“I was in panic,” Baekhyun retorted.

“And anyway, at least I was awake for it when Kai fished us out,” Baekhyun sneered. “Who’s Kai? Who’s Jongin? Who the fuck is Master?” Kyungsoo threw his hands up in frustration.

“Patience, Kyungsoo. Jongin is Kai, and Kai is Jongin,” Baekhyun replied him cheerfully.

That wasn’t helpful at all. “Okay… so they’re the same person?” Kyungsoo asked, throwing out guesses.

“Jongin’s his real name. Kai is his title here, it’s kind of like his official royal name. Y’know, like the Pope back in the days where they changed their name to suit Christianity. Or something like that, anyway,” Baekhyun rolled his eyes. “Oh. Then I suppose he’s Master?” Kyungsoo asked offhandedly.

“You were in his room a few minutes ago, I assume,” Luhan said to him. “Why was I in his room? Why didn’t I get my own damn room?” Kyungsoo asked.

“Well that’s the fun part, Kyungsoo. Kai usually doesn’t keep any humans alive if they come through the Portal—”

“Portal?” Kyungsoo stopped him with a hand.

“The bathtub,” Baekhyun blinked. “It was a Portal, leading us into their world,” Baekhyun said proudly. Kyungsoo laughed nervously. “What do you mean, _their_ world?”

“We’re in Downworld, Kyungsoo. Trust me, it’s cool here, they have electricity,” Baekhyun nodded. Luhan nodded wisely beside him too, and Kyungsoo resisted the urge to slap the both of them. “Downworld?” Kyungsoo croaked. “And I suppose, this is where the Tainted reside?”

“Don’t call them that, Kyungsoo, it’s offensive. Here, they’re just regular people. It’s only the ones up in our world that are Tainted,” Baekhyun said. Kyungsoo thought he might faint soon.

“Can’t we go back?” Kyungsoo asked faintly, slumping back into the cushions behind him. “We’re official guests here, under Luhan’s protection. I think he’s my new best friend now,” Baekhyun said. “Jesus Christ,” was all Kyungsoo could muster. “They don’t have religion here, but I think it’d be pretty cool if—”

“Okay, if Kai is Master,” Kyungsoo cut him off, earning a glare from Baekhyun. “Why was I in his room? And give me a straight answer, _please_ ,” he said, enunciating his words.

“He’s the ruler of the territory, Kyungsoo,” Baekhyun said patiently, though not unkindly. “He actually saved us from a vampire last night. It tried to eat us, but I think Kai killed it, he was pretty bloody when he came through the Portal with us. Why you were in his room, I don’t know. I couldn’t just _ask_ , I mean, he’s royalty.”

“So he brought me there?” Kyungsoo asked, his vision swimming dizzily. “Yeah. If it weren’t for Luhan with him, I would’ve been thrown aside to the west wing of the castle while _you_ ,” Baekhyun pointed at him. “He was all over you like a rash.”

Kyungsoo’s vision darkened, head dropping back on the pillows behind him. “Oh God,” he moaned. “You don’t look okay,” Baekhyun said, feeling his forehead. “Luhan, could we get some water for him?” he heard Baekhyun ask. _Bossing royalty around_ , Kyungsoo thought wonderingly. Now that’s something he never thought he’d see.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No one cares but i got the inspo of falling into a tub and disappearing into another world from two sources. One is inuyasha where kagome fell into a well and emerged in Feudal Japan. Another is from a calvin harris music video called Blame, featuring John Newman. Five girls go to a diff world (?) in diff ways. One of them was a tub, the rest was a sink with water, puddle and so on. Just in case someone tries to copy me.


	3. let me take you out of this town (let me do it right now, baby)

“GOOD MORNING, DO KYUNGSOO, WOULD YOU LIKE BACON WITH YOUR POACHED EGGS,” Baekhyun’s voice boomed in Kyungsoo’s ear. Kyungsoo groaned, feeling for something to throw at him. His hand found a round pillow, and he flung it to where he thought Baekhyun’s face would be. “Shut up, Baek. And yes,” he muttered, rubbing his eyes.

“Why are you cooking, Baekhyun, you burnt the bacon the last time you were in a kitchen,” he mumbled sleepily, his eyes still unwilling to open. He felt a brief draft on his face before Kyungsoo felt warm sunshine on his face, his eyelids coloured a blood red.

He turned over on the bed, away from the sun, and popped an eye open. In front of him was a giggling Luhan, staring at him while he tried to figure out how he knew the guy’s name.

Then he remembered last night ( _Oh, no_ ) and all that Baekhyun told him ( _Oh,_ hell _no_ ). Kyungsoo squinted at Luhan, poking him on the shoulder. “If you ever, ever eat my friend,” Kyungsoo said, his mouth feeling like it had been stuffed with cotton, “I will eat _you_ ,” he let his hand fall limply onto the bed.

Luhan just laughed, cuddling into the sheets. Kyungsoo was almost disappointed to see that Luhan was unfazed by his warning.

“Alright, guys, here’s your breakfast. Be careful,” Kyungsoo heard Baekhyun say, and he sat up in bed groggily, spotting Baekhyun and a maid with two trays of food.

They set it down in front of Kyungsoo and Luhan carefully, Kyungsoo feeling like he was at a five star hotel receiving breakfast in bed. There was orange juice, a glass of water, two poached eggs, with five slices of bacon and a small bun, along with a small saucer of butter. Kyungsoo rubbed his face with his hands. Maybe the food was all just his imagination; no one eats like that every morning… Oh nope, it’s still there.

“Is your territory called heaven, by any chance?” Kyungsoo asked Luhan, looking at the food.

Luhan blinked at him, “No, actually. It’s Lycanfort,” Luhan answered him cheerfully, giving him a warm smile before tucking in. Kyungsoo grimaced when he saw that Luhan’s poached eggs were replaced with a slice of raw meat, with some blood staining the slices of bacon. He quickly looked away before he puked all over the bed.

“Where do I brush my teeth?” Kyungsoo asked Baekhyun. Baekhyun replied, “That’s what the water is for. Just gargle and spit it out,” he pointed at the glass of water.

Luhan demonstrated it for him, and Kyungsoo briefly wondered if Kai had bad breath. He pretended to look away when Luhan glanced at him and he quickly poured the water in his mouth, grimacing when he spat it back out into the cup.

Setting the disgusting cup of water aside, he tucked into his meal. As he ate, he realized that his arrival at the castle must’ve been caused a fuss within the castle, because several maids kept stopping by with little gifts like a small bunch of lavender tied together (“Its scent has a calming effect,”), or a basket of green apples (“I wish you good health, sire,”). They were all anxious to meet him for some reason, and when they did they greeted him with such respect that Kyungsoo was starting to feel like one of those stuffy royals.

“How’d you like your breakfast?” Baekhyun asked when they sent the last maid away, after she came with a live squawking swan in her arms. “They wanted to send in hot chocolate, but I knew that you had this weird thing going on whenever you drank hot chocolate, so I told them to give you orange juice instead,” Baekhyun said, his words coming out in one long garbled sentence.

“It’s fine…” Kyungsoo grudgingly admitted. For supernatural beings, the servants sure cooked well.

“Why’s he eating his steak extra raw?” Kyungsoo asked him, nudging Luhan in the ribs, who was gnawing a particularly piece of chewy red meat. “I’m a werewolf, remember? I require meat more than the usual human being does. It doesn’t make me sick to eat it raw, so I always have my beef with a little bit of salt, and nothing more,” Luhan smiled brightly, his teeth stained red.

“Oh,” Baekhyun and Kyungsoo said together. Even Baekhyun couldn’t think of anything to say.

“Tonight there’s a festival to celebrate the full moon,” Luhan said, chewing thoughtfully as Baekhyun went towards the window. “You can see the villagers preparing for it at the balcony,” Luhan said to Baekhyun, pointing at the glass window with a fork. Kyungsoo noticed that the window was built from floor to ceiling, and when Baekhyun pushed it cautiously, Kyungsoo realized that the window was actually a pair of glass doors leading to the biggest balcony he’d ever seen.  

“Oh wow,” Baekhyun breathed, stepping out into the open. A refreshing breath of wind blew into the room, making the heavy curtains billow as the maids in the room struggled to put them aside. “Hey, I can see Kai there,” Baekhyun said, looking over the edge. “He’s going to greet the villagers now. Later, there’ll be a parade from the castle all the way to town,” Luhan supplied helpfully. “Kyungsoo, come see!” Baekhyun waved at him excitedly.

Since he’d already finished his breakfast, Kyungsoo got off the bed, dragging a thin sheet with him. He swept it over Baekhyun, wrapping it around his shoulders. They shuffled closer to the balcony, and that was when Kyungsoo spotted Kai.

There was no mistaking him; he’d never seen any man with such a regal air. He looked beautiful in Kyungsoo’s eyes, so beautiful like a falling star with his golden skin and windblown hair. He looked perfect the way superstars were perfect, his facial features sharp and his body slim without an ounce of fat. Surprisingly, Kai was wearing a tight shirt (Kyungsoo thought that it looked like something from the pages of a glossy magazine), and Kyungsoo gulped, his lithe body moving gracefully as he walked towards a man waiting for him with a horse. A few other guys flanked him, joking around and laughing out loud. “I slept in the same bed with that guy?” Kyungsoo croaked, voice cracking twice.

Baekhyun looked at him. “Whoa, there. You were in the same _bed_?” he asked. “Yeah,” Kyungsoo blushed at the memory. “And he was naked too,” he said softly into Baekhyun’s ear. “OH GOD, KYUNGSOO,” Baekhyun’s eyes were wider than saucers. “Are you still a…?” Baekhyun lifted his eyebrows at him.

“No, I haven’t lost my V-card,” Kyungsoo snapped, looking away from Baekhyun to admire Kai’s fine body. “I bet you’re wishing you did now,” Baekhyun nudged him. Kyungsoo elbowed him in the ribs. Kai was mounting the horse now, his hair messed up from the wind. “Ugh, he’s so gorgeous, Baekhyun,” Kyungsoo said, hugging Baekhyun to convey his feelings. Baekhyun petted him on the back, “There, there, it all happens to everyone. Sometimes you see a really hot guy, and sometimes you like him,” Baekhyun cooed at him.

Kyungsoo groaned and looked at Kai again, who was riding the horses in circles, probably for warm up rounds or whatever. How his ass wasn’t freezing in the cold winter wind, Kyungsoo didn’t know. His teeth were starting to chatter from the cold, and he released his hold on Baekhyun to rub his hands together to keep warm.

At that moment, Kai looked up at the castle from the ground below, and somehow spotted Kyungsoo easily, without having to search for him. Kyungsoo stared at him as Kai stared back, his expression unreadable. Kyungsoo desperately wanted to look away, but it seemed rude to just look away from a hot guy. After an eternity, Kai looked away, riding his horse towards the village with the rest of his men.

Kyungsoo blinked blankly. He looked at Baekhyun, wondering what just happened. “Kyungsoo, what was that?” he asked, lifting an eyebrow.

“He was probably admiring the castle,” Kyungsoo lied blatantly, avoiding Baekhyun’s gaze. “Let’s go back inside,” Kyungsoo pulled Baekhyun in with the thin sheet. “If he was admiring the castle, then Chanyeol’s my brother,” Baekhyun scoffed at him. “It was one of those awkward glances is all,” Kyungsoo laughed nervously, closing the glass door behind him, effectively blocking out the wind.

“Did Kai see you?” Luhan asked. Inside, he had already finished his breakfast, the trays cleared away by the maids.

“More like he raped him with his eyes,” Baekhyun replied kindly on Kyungsoo’s behalf. “No, he didn’t, we just exchanged eye contact,” Kyungsoo denied. Luhan gave him a knowing look.

“He was probably worried when he woke up to find that you weren’t there beside him. I suppose I could’ve warned him, but that was unnecessary once he came barging in about half an hour before you woke up…” Luhan sipped at his juice casually, leaning his weight on one arm as he drank it elegantly.

“He was here?” Kyungsoo frowned. “Yeah, since when did he come over?” Baekhyun chided.

“Yes, he did. While you were on your walk,” Luhan told him. Kyungsoo shook his head at Baekhyun; he’d always had a habit of waking up as soon as the sun was up, and usually had trouble falling asleep after that. “So did you enjoy your walk around the castle?” Luhan asked, tucking his knees to his chest.

“Yeah, but tell me what Kai did when he came in,” Baekhyun giggled, jumping onto the bed. Luhan’s expression brightened and he nodded.

“Ah yes. Well, he came barging in and woke me up, but surprisingly Kyungsoo slept through it. He just asked me if Kyungsoo came over or if I took him. I told him I wasn’t an idiot to take his little Pureblood pet away from him while he was sleeping,” Luhan rolled his eyes. “Then he grumped about and said that he would be going out today… He asked me to take care of you while he was away, and to bring you both to the festival if he isn’t around by the time the parade starts,” he smiled at Kyungsoo.

“Can’t he bring me himself?” Kyungsoo muttered. Luhan stopped and Baekhyun stared at him. “Did you just ask for a date?” Baekhyun asked. Luhan smiled blankly, looking at the both of them. “What’s a date?” he chirped.

“No, I didn’t! I just meant that… Y’know, since he wanted me in his room and all, can’t he grow some balls to take me out?” Kyungsoo retorted, trying to hide his blush from Baekhyun. “I thought you threw balls, not grow them,” Luhan’s smile faded as he got confused.

“Oh my god!! He’s finally grown up!” Baekhyun shrieked, getting on his knees and throwing his arms heavenward. “HE’S FINALLY GETTING THE D!!”

Luhan clamped a hand over his mouth, giving Kyungsoo a serious look. “Do you _want_ Kai to take you to the parade?” he asked. Kyungsoo thought about his choices; if he said yes, then surely he would look like a desperate fool trying to get his attention. If he said no, Luhan would still probably try to get Kai to personally ask him out to the parade.

“Well,” Kyungsoo said slowly, picking at a spot on the blanket. “As much as I’d like to go to the parade…” Baekhyun and Luhan waited for the rest of his sentence, holding their breaths.

“I don’t think the parade is for me,” Kyungsoo finished. Baekhyun glared at him, breathing heavily. Kyungsoo thought that if he continued fuming like that there would be steam coming out of his ears soon enough. He peeled Luhan’s fingers over his mouth, his face going red.

“Do Kyungsoo!” Baekhyun put his hands on his hips like an angry mother. “You are going to the damn parade, and that. IS. IT.”

“Make me,” Kyungsoo rolled his eyes at him. He got up from the bed, heading to the door. “I think I’ve outstayed my welcome here so I’m going to leave and maybe take a walk. If you both still insist on bringing me to the parade, I will lock myself in the room until the festival is over,” Kyungsoo said firmly, opening the door and stepping out. “Don’t you dare, Kyungsoo, you little cunt--” Kyungsoo slammed the door in Baekhyun’s face.

Baekhyun sighed and turned to Luhan who was sitting at the edge of the bed calmly. “Can’t I tell him, Luhan? I really, really want to,” Baekhyun pleaded. Luhan shook his head, smiling tranquilly like a distant god. “He’ll find out on his own eventually.”

*

Ten minutes later, Kyungsoo was lost within the castle walls and had to stop a busy servant girl to ask for directions. “Um, where is Kai’s room?” he asked her, wondering if she would think he was mad for wanting to enter the ‘Master’s bedroom.

“The Master’s chambers are right this way, sire. Shall I lead you there?” she replied him politely. “That’d be great, thanks. Also, I couldn’t find my own clothes. Where did they go?” Kyungsoo asked, after noticing that she was gathering up piles of dirty laundry from room to room.

“I believe it has already been sent to the Master’s room after drying it out, sire,” she answered. Kyungsoo thanked her as they went along, and she looked away, blushing furiously. Kyungsoo wondered if it was because the royals didn’t treat them how normal people would.

 “So how’s Kai like in real life?” Kyungsoo asked to fill out the silence as Kyungsoo paced himself with her footsteps. He figured that a maid in the castle would know more than anyone else, and he’d rather take her advice than Baekhyun’s biased opinion. Kyungsoo rolled his eyes at the memory of Baekhyun’s hissy fit.

The girl looked at him as if he was a murderer. “Master is wonderful, sire. Lycanfort has never been more peaceful, and the festival is coming together nicely. Master deserves all the respect he has.” Kyungsoo thought her tone sounded a little accusing. “I guess I’m glad he saved me, then,” Kyungsoo said as a joke, but the girl nodded seriously, adjusting her hold on her pile of laundry.

“Master _would_ save you, after all, sire. He is a kind man who takes his responsibility seriously,” she answered him without an ounce of insincerity. _Maybe Kai isn’t just some werewolf_ , Kyungsoo thought. _Maybe he_ is _a nice guy_. Kyungsoo thought of the strange look Kai gave him. Kyungsoo wasn’t used to that; nobody back home looked at him that way, ever. What he was supposed to make of it, he didn’t know.

“What about vampires? Do you live in harmony with the vampires?” Kyungsoo quipped, changing the subject before it became a Kai worship thing. This time she gave him a look as if he was a murderer covered in blood. “We don’t consort with the vampires, sire. Not ever,” she said sharply. Then she sped up her footsteps and Kyungsoo stopped asking questions; he supposed vampires were a sensitive subject here.

They reached a familiar hallway before long, and Kyungsoo began to recognize the doors on this particular hallway. The girl stopped in front of one and opened it up, showing him in. “This is your room, sire. Have a pleasant day,” she said coldly. Kyungsoo hesitated as he stepped into the room, turning back to her. “I don’t suppose you could have someone to show me around the castle?” he asked hopefully.

“A maid has been provided to you, sire. That is her chambers, although she is not available now. Shall I ask one of the girls to get her?”

“Mmm. I’ll be here,” Kyungsoo told her, giving her a tentative smile. She nodded at him, and shut the door quietly. _Ah, some peace and quiet_ , Kyungsoo smiled to himself, turning to face the room.

If Luhan’s room was amazing, Kai’s room was beyond mind boggling. By the door there was a shelf filled with books all the way up to the ceiling. The books looked old and fragile to him, and Kyungsoo resisted the urge to look at the titles. Opposite the bookshelf was an array of weapons of every kind; from swords to spears, nun chucks and small blades. He decided to avoid that corner for now, lest he stab himself in the neck.

Kyungsoo climbed up the three steps in front of the door that led up to a soft carpet, which Kyungsoo relished in. It was dyed dark maroon, which gave the room a very heavy feeling, considering that the walls were a dark grey. A bed with contrastingly white sheets that looked far too comfortable and far too large to be legal sat at the far end of the room, enticing Kyungsoo in all its canopied glory. He eyed it suspiciously for a moment, thinking that this was the bed he slept in last night; this was the bed that Kai had to sleep on in the nude.

“Whatever,” Kyungsoo muttered, figuring that since the girl wasn’t here yet, he might as well have some fun. He flopped on the bed, loving the feel of the soft cotton beneath his fingers. He wiggled around on the bed, taking a pillow into his arms and squeezing it. Kyungsoo lay still on the bed for a while, breathing the scent of freshly made laundry. It made him think of his mom, and of home back in town…

A brisk knock on the door startled Kyungsoo out of his thoughts when he realized that he had been lying down on the bed for quite a while. His heart ached, feeling homesick, but he pushed it down, calling out, “Yes?” at the door.

The door creaked open by a bit, a head of thickly braided brown hair popping through. “Sire?” the girl from last night called out. Kyungsoo scampered off the bed, hurrying over to meet her. “Hi! Remember me? Sorry about er, waking you up last night,” he grimaced. She came through the door then, meeting Kyungsoo halfway. “Ah yes, I do remember you, sire. It was no trouble,” she said to him, bowing slightly. “Don’t call me sire,” Kyungsoo said to her. “It’s Kyungsoo. I don’t really like being called sire, I feel old,” he told her, patting her on the shoulder.

She looked like she was at loss for words, but she nodded anyway. “And what do I call you?” he asked her, trying to get her to feel comfortable. Kyungsoo didn’t understand why he had to be treated like a piece of fragile glass, and wanted her to look at him as her equal. He didn’t like how all the servants bowed to him all the time.

“Sire—I mean, Kyungsoo…” she said cautiously, pronouncing his name carefully. “You can call me what you want, sire.”

Kyungsoo pursed his lips. “It would make me feel extra safe around here if you just tell me your name,” he said, deciding to take advantage of the girl’s perception of him as an official guest. “My name is Eunyoung,” she said meekly, shuffling on her feet. Kyungsoo smiled at her warmly. “Nice name. Could you show me around, Eunyoung?”

After giving Kyungsoo his own clothes, folded neatly into one pile, they walked through the grand halls of the Lycanfort castle, Kyungsoo tucked snugly in his own parka. Eunyoung wore no winter clothes, her plain maid uniform similar to what Kyungsoo would wear during late spring.

 She showed him the bell tower that was only rung during a national emergency. She showed him the public dining hall that was used during festivities to welcome Lycanfort’s people into the castle, servants scurrying around to set the tables in time for the Full Moon Festival.

The private dining hall was much smaller, with a table to fit about eight people. “This is where Master dines on most nights,” she told him, gesturing at a chair that looked more like a throne, with golden trimmings and red velvet cushions. “Is this where I have to eat too, if I stay?” he said. She looked surprised.

“Aren’t you staying, sire? Forgive me, Kyungsoo,” she corrected herself quickly. “I’ll probably go back home after the festival,” Kyungsoo shrugged. He could only imagine how worried his mother must be. “I just had a fight with Baekhyun a while ago, but we’ll probably leave tomorrow,” he told her.

“What about Master?” Eunyoung asked him, clearly alarmed at Kyungsoo’s swift departure.

“What about him?” Kyungsoo blinked. “He’ll let me go through the Portal if he’s as kind as people say,” Kyungsoo said. Eunyoung said nothing at that, walking quietly. They were in the garden now, surrounded by strange flowers when Kyungsoo asked, “Could you tell me about Lycanfort and Kai?”

She took a deep breath, and launched into it right away, as if she’d been preparing for this.

“Master comes from a long line of royal White Wolves. He has been King of Lycanfort for about thirty years now,” Kyungsoo choked at the word ‘thirty’. He looked like a teenager to Kyungsoo, but perhaps he was wrong. Eunyoung gave him a weird look before going on, “…and may he continue to rule on for another thirty more. Lycanfort is the most prosperous country…” Eunyoung droned on and on about how beautiful Lycanfort was, boring Kyungsoo thoroughly, before something caught his attention.

“Master’s father ended the war between the lycans and the vampires—”

“What?” Kyungsoo said, eyes widening. “You guys were at war?”

“Yes, Kyungsoo. The vampires live across the coast now, on the barren lands of Europe,” she informed him. Kyungsoo almost laughed when he realized that the vampires were living in ‘Europe’. Surely it was a different kind of Europe?

“What was the war about?” Kyungsoo asked, sitting down on a bench.

“The vampires delight in terrorizing your world, Kyungsoo. There had been a revolt against Master’s great grandfather a long time ago, and many of my kind travelled through the Portal with the vampires. It was a terrible war then, but all is over now,” she said, a sad expression on her face. “Did you lose someone in the war?” Kyungsoo asked. If Kai looked like a teenager, then maybe Eunyoung was older than he thought.

“I was but a child then. My mother gave her life in the war,” she replied him. Kyungsoo petted the seat next to him. She bowed and sat beside him, keeping her distance. “I take it you’re not friendly with the vampires then?” Kyungsoo said blankly, looking over the plains.

“It is a tedious relationship,” Eunyoung replied him curtly. Kyungsoo nodded, understanding immediately. So the vampires and werewolves broke the rules when they came to Kyungsoo’s world… Now that was interesting. Everyone had always assumed that Count Dracula, the first vampire, had summoned a demon through black magic and something must’ve gone wrong because within days, he was a full fledged vampire. Maybe his dog wasn’t turned into a werewolf as well, Kyungsoo realized. The dog probably had no part in this, it had been a werewolf the whole time, maybe the alpha male.

“It is also Master’s grandfather who led the revolt, Kyungsoo. I thought you should know, on the off chance that you...” her voice trailed off. “In case I say the wrong thing to Kai? Yeah, I got it,” Kyungsoo said gratefully. “Master takes many long trips to the Pureblood world, Kyungsoo. Is it as beautiful as they say?” she asked, looking at him. “I don’t know if it’s beautiful,” Kyungsoo admitted.

“But my world isn’t as simple as yours, I think. Baekhyun told me that your people don’t believe in religion, and well, I think that definitely saves your world a lot of trouble,” Kyungsoo said. “Is your world ravaged with war from religion?” she asked, shocked.

“No, no, there’s no war,” Kyungsoo was quick to deny. “But there might as well be, considering how messy things can get…” Kyungsoo said absently, feeling homesick again.

“Is there any chance I can go home now?” he asked her. He had a feeling from the very start that if he wanted to leave, he was going to have to ask Kai himself.

“It is Master’s decision to make whether you should leave or not,” she replied him gently. “So that means I’m trapped here?” he asked helplessly. “Master will know what to do,” she answered, which grated on Kyungsoo’s nerves. The way they were all so submissive to him made him sick in some way.

Suddenly, Eunyoung’s posture stiffened. She stood up quickly, and looked over the plains. “What’s wrong?” Kyungsoo asked, getting up to stand next to her. “Don’t you hear it?” she asked, eyes glazed over. “The sound of hooves thumping like a heartbeat…”

Mere seconds later, Kyungsoo soon saw what she heard from a distance. Kai and his men had returned on their horses, Kai leading the rest. Kyungsoo gulped; upclose he was even more stunning. Kyungsoo was starting to regret not examining his face much more closely that night when he first woke in this world.

Kai spotted him right away, eyes fixated on Kyungsoo as he was getting off his horse with a swift leap. He walked towards Kyungsoo slowly while his men watched them, making Kyungsoo’s heartbeat quicken with each step Kai took. Eunyoung whimpered, and scurried off to give them space, bowing her head. Kyungsoo noted that Kai was wearing jeans, and they looked terribly familiar.

However, he was given no chance to mull over it when Kai took the final step towards Kyungsoo and pulled him into a hug, his musky scent filling Kyungsoo’s nostrils. “ _Min kjærlighet_ ,” he murmured, nosing Kyungsoo’s hair. Kyungsoo, baffled, didn’t know what to do, but he thought that maybe he should return the hug, so he put his arms around Jongin’s waist, patting him awkwardly. He inhaled Kai’s scent, trying not to be obvious about it; there was something sweet about it, even though he knew that his scent couldn’t be more than sweat and soap.

“My brother tells me you wish for me to escort you to the parade, _min kjærlighet_. Is this true?” he murmured, pulling back a little to look into Kyungsoo’s eyes.

There was something lovely about what he just said, that thing he just called Kyungsoo, although he didn’t understand it. Kyungsoo could see little flecks of green in his eyes as he answered without filtering his words, “Did he text you or something, how did you know that?”

“No, love, he sent me an eagle,” Kai replied him, laughing, reaching down to take his hands. “Um,” Kyungsoo dithered, letting Kai hold his hands. He threaded their fingers together tightly, turning to look at his men.

“Minseok, prepare the horses for later, would you?” One of the guys on the horses gave him a nod and a thumbs up. The image of Kai’s face as he laughed burned into Kyungsoo’s mind, making him feel like he’d just ran a marathon.

“Come, we can talk inside,” Kai smiled at Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo’s cheeks burned as he trailed after Kai like goldfish poop, watching the muscles on his back move as he entered the castle with ease. A small crowd of servants had gathered inside the castle, and they scattered when they saw them coming in. Kyungsoo eyed all of them, wondering how they gathered so fast. Among them was Eunyoung who gave him an eyebrow wiggle; he’d rather not linger on what he thought it meant.

“Look, Kai, I’m really grateful that you saved me and Baekhyun and all, but I need to talk to you about going back—” Kai listened closely, meeting Kyungsoo’s gaze despite him looking at Kai and away out of nervousness. Kyungsoo pulled his hand out of Kai’s grip, his palms already sweaty.

“You needn’t repay me, love,” Kai said gently, chucking him on the chin. He reached for Kyungsoo’s hand again, but Kyungsoo pulled them away, holding them up. “I have sweaty palms, so…”

Kai cocked his head to one side, frowning. “I don’t see the problem,” he said, taking one of Kyungsoo’s hands. Kyungsoo gurgled as they walked along the long hallways once again, passing windows with gardeners throwing them curious looks and multiple servants walking in the opposite direction with little smiles playing on their mouths. Kyungsoo couldn’t tell if they found Kai particularly handsome or if this was some kind of fandom worship thing.

They arrived at Kai’s hallway once again, and Kai pulled him in, intent on having Kyungsoo for his own. “Did Luhan take care of your needs?” Kai asked, kicking the door closed. “Uh, yeah. Listen, about the festival—”

“The kingdom is in celebration, yes. Since I am here, we can wait until the parade starts and we shall enjoy my kingdom’s festivities—”

“No, no, no, no!” Kyungsoo said quickly. Kai’s expression fell. “Are the festivities not to your liking, love?”

“No, it’s not that, I just. I need to go back home,” Kyungsoo decided to just put it out there. He needed to be clear that he couldn’t stay here any longer than necessary.

 Kai stopped at that, his mouth tight. “But I want you to stay,” he said, invading Kyungsoo’s personal space as he came close. Kyungsoo squeaked. “ _Min_ _kjærlighet,_ I want you to stay, so that we can watch the stars together, and we can ride through the woods at night, listening to the sounds of the forest…” Kai’s eyes were heavy lidded as he stared into Kyungsoo’s eyes, no hint of playfulness at all.

Kyungsoo scooted backwards till he hit a wall. He gasped in pain when one of the rocks in the wall poked him in the back, and Kai took advantage of that, putting a hand on the wall above Kyungsoo’s head to block him from escaping, although Kyungsoo could honestly say he wouldn’t have tried anyway.

Kai lowered his head towards Kyungsoo’s neck, breathing in his scent and nipping the skin at his pulse. Kyungsoo gurgled, making weird noises that he would most definitely be embarrassed about later.

“ _Min_ _kjærlighet,_ won’t you stay?” Kai whispered in his ear, his breath against Kyungsoo’s jaw. “Maybe just for tonight,” Kyungsoo whispered back, shuddering because oh God, what would happen if Kai wanted to _kiss_ him? Kyungsoo didn’t know if he could live through that. Kai smiled when Kyungsoo said that, and immediately pulled away from him, standing at distance where Kyungsoo could breathe without a problem.

“Your heartbeat is fluttering like the wings of a hummingbird,” Kai observed. “I wonder why,” Kyungsoo laughed nervously. _Shut up, Kyungsoo, shut up, you’re so embarrassing_ , he hissed at himself mentally.

“What do we do for now if we’re gonna go to the parade?” Kyungsoo mumbled, unzipping his parka. It was a little warmer in the room, although Kai’s presence was more than enough to make him sweat. “Have you eaten yet? We can dine in the hall, or I could take you riding if you want,” Kai answered eagerly. It was already late afternoon, since Baekhyun woke him up at about eleven or twelve.

“Um, no riding for me. I’ve never ridden,” Kyungsoo said, putting the parka down on a chair. “I’ll teach you if you want then,” Kai responded confidently. Kyungsoo didn’t know how to answer to that, so he just sat by the bed, avoiding Kai at all costs. “I’m not hungry though,” Kyungsoo said softly, looking at Kai.

“Fret not, love. We have all day to do anything you want,” Kai answered happily. He joined Kyungsoo on the bed, to his dismay, and crawled over to Kyungsoo, sitting next to him. Their arms brushed whenever Kai looked at him, but Kyungsoo pretended not to notice.

“Why were you chasing us last night?” Kyungsoo asked him after a terribly awkward silence. “I wasn’t chasing you, love,” he said, surprised. “There was a vampire behind your friend. I simply wanted to make sure you were safe, but then you started running and the vampire gave chase, so I had no choice but to go after the filthy creature,” he replied.

“Oh.” There was a vampire behind him and he didn’t even know. “And even if you keep calling me love, do you actually know my name?” he couldn’t help asking. Somehow he wished Kai did, even if there was no way he would know unless Baekhyun told him when he first saved them. But that didn’t seem like the first thing Baekhyun would say in that situation, so maybe he didn’t.

“Why, yes, love. Do Kyungsoo, isn’t it?” he answered proudly. Kyungsoo lifted an eyebrow at him. “And how did you find out about my name? Did Baekhyun tell you?”

“There are times when I travel to the Pureblood world to see you smile on your walks with your companion,” Kai spat out the word ‘companion’ as if it was a vile word. “Baekhyun’s my best friend, Kai. Be nice to him,” Kyungsoo said, poking him on the arm.  “And ew, you’ve been spying on me?” Kyungsoo said, wrinkling his nose.

“Not spying, I assure you, _min_ _kjærlighet,_ ” Kai said quickly, hand on Kyungsoo’s thigh. “Those walks you take during the nights are not safe, love. I watch only for the wretched vampires. Nothing more,” Kai said to him, looking away embarrassedly. A light blush stained his cheeks pink, making Kyungsoo heart contract inside. Kai lifted a hand to Kyungsoo’s face to brush away his bangs from his eyes.

“Then why did you bring me back to your room?” Kyungsoo asked innocently. Kai’s mouth popped open in surprise. He started to say something, but Kyungsoo stopped him. “Just don’t sleep naked next time,” Kyungsoo said, tapping Kai’s shirt.

*

When the sun began to sink into the horizon, Kyungsoo realized that he had spent almost an entire day with Kai in his room, talking about themselves to each other. Kai liked to listen to Kyungsoo talk, and kept firing questions at him to keep him talking, even if every time Kyungsoo mentioned Baekhyun, his lips would curl as if he was baring his teeth.

“The sun is setting, love. Shall we proceed to the parade?” Kai asked softly. “Sure,” Kyungsoo replied, slipping off the now messed up bed. “How long do you think we’ll be out?” Kyungsoo asked, wrapping a scarf around himself. “The parade marches down to the town, which takes about fifteen minutes… After that it depends on my citizens if they have sufficient activities to amuse you all night,” Kai smiled, offering an arm to Kyungsoo.

“I’m sure they’ll occupy me long enough,” Kyungsoo smiled. He took Kai’s arm, and they were about to head out when Kai opened the door, Luhan and Baekhyun falling over each other to their feet with a yell. “OH, IS THAT YOU KYUNGSOO?” Baekhyun said loudly, trying to get up.

 “Get your foot outta my face, Lu,” he grumbled, pushing it away. “What’re you both doing?” Kyungsoo asked curtly. “We were taking a lovely walk around the castle… Hello, brother,” Luhan smiled too brightly, holding out a hand to Kai. Kai pulled him up, and he looked at them curiously. “Are you both going to see the parade now? Why then, don’t let us stop you!” Luhan said, patting Kyungsoo’s head.

Kai swatted his hand away, giving him the evils. “I think we were just about to go to the parade too, weren’t we, Luhan?” Baekhyun asked.

“Ah, yes, we were, weren’t we? Well then, we must be off now,” Luhan said, smacking Kai’s arm. “Bye Jongin! Bye, Kyungsoo!” he said, and they skipped off together, Kyungsoo and Kai staring at the pair of them.

“I don’t know what was that about, I swear,” Kyungsoo said to Kai. “Can we just go?” Kyungsoo asked, looking up at Kai. “Yes, let us be off,” Kai replied, tugging Kyungsoo’s arm to lead him. “So do you guys celebrate the Full Moon Festival every time there’s a full moon?” Kyungsoo asked.

Kai blinked at him. “That is correct, _min_ _kjærlighet,_ ” he answered, looking away quickly. Kyungsoo didn’t get why he did that, but he just shrugged it off. “Who do you usually go to the festival with?” Kyungsoo asked, his hand brushing Kai’s. “I haven’t attended the festival in a while,” Kai answered honestly.

Kyungsoo was about to open his mouth to ask something else when a shower of hard little things was thrown in their direction. “Congratulations, Master!” a group of servants cried, giggling. Kai brushed some of beads away from his clothes, nodding at them. “Hey, it’s rice,” Kyungsoo observed, picking some of it out of his hair. “Is this something you guys do very often to each other?” Kyungsoo asked, the servants scampering away.

“It’s part of the festivities,” Kai muttered, embarrassed. The pink on his cheeks made Kyungsoo feel like pinching his cheeks, but Kyungsoo resisted the urge.

A man came up to them then, Kyungsoo remembering him from this afternoon. “Minseok, are the horses ready?” Kai asked him. Kyungsoo looked at Minseok and back at Kai. “We’re riding there?” he asked, alarmed. “Do not worry, love, I’ll be there to guide you,” Kai placed a hand on Kyungsoo’s arm.

Minseok held out an arm to let them walk ahead. “And Kyungsoo love, if it’s not too much of a bother for you, would you allow me to provide the appropriate attire for riding?” Kai asked. Kyungsoo looked down at his black parka and jeans. “Won’t they do?” Kyungsoo countered.

“It might get cold as the night progresses,” Kai replied. Kyungsoo shrugged. “Okay then,” he said. Kai waved at a servant girl from a few feet away, who had bowed at them when she saw them approaching.

“Bring me something warm,” Kai said to her, and she curtsied, scurrying off in a hurry. “Don’t werewolves get cold?” Kyungsoo wondered aloud. “Hardly,” Kai laughed. “The weather does not bother us as it does Purebloods.”

As they went outside, the cold found its way through Kyungsoo’s clothes, making his body tingle all over. Kai wasn’t the least bit affected, walking through the grass like it was still summer. They waited at a spot by the garden, Minseok going off to get the horses. Kai noticed Kyungsoo stomping his feet to get some blood flowing, and he drew an arm around Kyungsoo, bringing him close to his chest. “You’ll be warm soon enough,” he said softly, making Kyungsoo blush furiously.

He wanted to push Kai away because _fuck_ , this is embarrassing to cuddle in public, but he didn’t really want to. Kai was warm like a heater, and he settled into Kai’s embrace grumpily, making Kai laugh. “You’re so touchy feely,” Kyungsoo mumbled into Kai’s chest. He was hoping that maybe Kai didn’t hear that, but unfortunately for him, Kai said, “Would you prefer if I…avoided contact with you?”

Damn his werewolf ears. “Nnnrrghh,” Kyungsoo groaned. “No, it was just an observation,” he replied, sighing loudly.    

Minseok soon returned with two horses, one white and the other black with a white star on its forehead. “Are there unicorns here?” Kyungsoo asked, petting the black horse. Kai frowned. “I’m not familiar with the term, love.” Kyungsoo shook his head, cooing at the horse. Maybe there weren’t any unicorns in Lycanfort, but Kyungsoo was starting to feel that there was something definitely magical about this place.

A breathless girl came running; carrying what looked like a blanket in her hands. “Ah, yes,” Kai took the blanket from her and thanked her. Kai came back to Kyungsoo who was running his hands through the horse’s hair, when Kai shook the blanket out and Kyungsoo realized it was just a jacket made of sturdy leather.

“My parka can keep the cold out just fine, Kai,” Kyungsoo rolled his eyes at him. “Nonsense, love, that _thing_ can’t possibly do anything for you,” Kai insisted, bringing it up to your face. “Look, if I get cold, I’ll let you know. Then maybe you can hug me or something,” Kyungsoo said, just to get Kai off his back.

Kai looked surprised at his answer for a moment, maybe even in awe of the opportunity to hug Kyungsoo again, but he quickly got over his surprise and put the jacket on, shrugging into it. “Just in case you should change your mind, love,” he explained at Kyungsoo’s questioning look.

“So how do we do this?” Kyungsoo asked, gesturing at the horses. “Ah yes. Love, allow me to explain,” Kai said, pointing at all the different types of gear, teaching Kyungsoo how to manoeuvre the horse properly. It turned Kyungsoo’s brain into soup all too soon, and Kyungsoo waved a hand at him. “Can’t I just ride with you?” he asked.

Kai stopped. “You… would prefer it that way?” he asked. “You can teach me how to ride next time,” Kyungsoo said. Kai looked pleased at the prospect of next time. Kyungsoo however, hoped that Kai would realize there was no next time, at least if it came to riding a horse alone.

“Very well, then. Send Milky away, would you, Minseok?” Kai ordered him calmly. Kyungsoo flipped around, watching Minseok take the white horse away. “Wait, he isn’t coming with us?” Kyungsoo asked. Minseok turned to look at them.

“He’s the stable boy, love, he needs to care for the horses,” Kai replied. “Come with us, Minseok. I’m sure you don’t want to miss the festival,” Kyungsoo said to him. “Surely you can spare him the horse, Kai?” Kyungsoo asked Kai, his eyes pleading.

“He doesn’t have to ride _with_ us, if that’s what you’re concerned about,” Kyungsoo said when Kai pursed his lips, thinking. “As you wish, _min_ _kjærlighet._ ” He sounded angry, but Kyungsoo knew it probably wasn’t directed at him. “Minseok, go on,” Kai said, and Minseok took the cue, clearly uncomfortable at having to be the subject of the conversation. “Thank you, sire,” he said weakly in Kyungsoo’s direction, before clambering onto the horse and riding away as if the devil were at his heels.

“You’re not mad at me, are you?” Kyungsoo asked, when he was gone. Kai brushed his hand against Kyungsoo’s cheek. “ _Min_ _kjærlighet_ , I will never be angry at you,” he said softly. “G-good,” Kyungsoo stuttered, cheeks burning again. This had to stop soon, why was he blushing whenever Kai touched him?

“So do you get on first or…?” Kyungsoo asked, petting the horse’s neck. “No, you will. You’ll need me to help you up,” Kai said to him, standing next to him. He put his hands together in front of him, palms up, and bent his knees slightly. “I’ll be here to catch you if you fall,” he said to calm Kyungsoo’s nerves.

Kyungsoo wringed his hands nervously, looking back and forth at the horse and Kai’s hands. “God save me if I fall on my ass,” he muttered to himself, taking a deep breath. He placed a foot on Kai’s hands, and another hand on the horse to steady himself. A second later, Kai boosted him up, throwing him up into the air with his superior werewolf strength. Kyungsoo whimpered mid air, landing on the horse neatly. _Thank God_ , he breathed heavily. He glanced down to see how far off the ground he was and— Oh, it was for sure, he would never ride a horse ever again.

Kai however, had minimal problems getting on the horse. He swung himself up gracefully, the movement practiced and easy. He sat behind Kyungsoo, reaching for the reins by Kyungsoo’s thighs. Kyungsoo tried to calm his heartbeat as Kai murmured to the horse gently. He didn’t know how it would feel to ride with Kai, but he soon found out when Kai put an arm around his waist to steady him and the horse started moving, jolting Kyungsoo backwards.

He tried to think of anything at all, from Newton’s first law to the formulas in calculus, to avoid thinking about how sickening it felt to be bouncing on the horse’s back with Kai’s large frame behind him. Kai’s touch burned right through his parka, and Kyungsoo had to think of calming things again because he knew full well that Kai could hear his heartbeat, and damn if he wasn’t amused by all of this.

They rode through the gardens, the horse’s hooves making a muffled sound on the wet grass. Kyungsoo kept silent during the whole trip, feeling a little green, when suddenly there were lights ahead of them, and Kai tightened his hold on Kyungsoo, loud cheers ringing out as a crowd of people came into view.

“I must warn you, love, there will be even more rice thrown at us—” Handfuls of rice grains were thrown into Kyungsoo’s face as they wound through the crowd, shouts of congratulations all around.

Some of the rice grains made their way into his clothes, making Kyungsoo wriggle about on the horse as Kai waved at his citizens. Some of the people touched Kyungsoo’s shoes or Kai’s legs as they went past, and Kyungsoo tried not to feel overwhelmed by it all. The people were all so kind here, unlike the cold shoulders he was used back home; Kyungsoo thought he might cry soon, and quickly shook the feeling off before Kai found out.

“The parade’s about to start,” Kai said in his ear, leaning close to him. Kyungsoo smiled at him in return, and they moved aside to make way.

Soon, people dressed in ball gowns with heavy makeup walked past, their actions overly dramatic as they waved and cooed at Kai and Kyungsoo. They had white powder on their faces and pink circles drawn on their cheekbones, looking very much like the French of the 17th century. They wore impossibly intricate wigs, with necklaces made of rhinestone shining in the light.

Kai laughed delightedly at a few of them, waving back. Then a group of acrobatics came, doing cartwheels and waving ribbons around, spinning on their feet as they made their way past the regular crowd.

“There’s more to come,” Kai said to Kyungsoo, waving at the last of the acrobatics. “I’m hungry now, though,” Kyungsoo said sheepishly. “Shall we dine in town, or would you prefer to dine at the castle?” Kai asked. “I think town is fine,” Kyungsoo replied. He didn’t want to have people serving him now when servants were probably needed to handle the public dining hall.

“To town,” Kai repeated, nudging the horse in the ribs to lead it into the direction of the town.

The horse started galloping when Kai gave the command without warning Kyungsoo first, and Kyungsoo again, was jolted backwards, and he held Kai’s hands instinctively, closing his eyes at the trees flying past him.

By the time they reached the town square, Kyungsoo was ready to puke. He felt so motion sick that he thought he’d pass out soon. Kai got off first, reaching for Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo took his offered hands and plopped down on the ground, breathing heavily. The horse neighed at his pale face and huffed. _Even a horse can give me sass about being motion sick from a little ride_ , Kyungsoo thought, affronted. He felt embarrassed to be sick but he pretended to be fine when Kai glanced at him while he fiddled with the reins.

“Are you just going to leave the horse here?” Kyungsoo asked. Kai nodded. “Everybody knows this ol’ girl,” Kai said, tickling the horse’s chin. Kyungsoo shrugged and started to look around at the town, people milling about and some were staring at the pair of them. “There are a lot of people here,” Kyungsoo observed. “The crowd will be larger once the parade ends,” Kai said, offering his arm to Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo took it gratefully, relieved to have something steady to hold onto to ease his stomach.

“Master! Sire! Would you like to try the local bread?” a woman came up to them, jovial and red faced. She held out a tray of different kinds of bread to them, letting them have a pick. “Thank you,” Kyungsoo said, peering at her freshly baked goods. Kyungsoo picked a bun in the shape of a heart, while Kai took a regular bun.

Kyungsoo bit into it, the taste of red bean paste exploding in his mouth. “Mmm, mine’s red bean, what’s yours?” Kyungsoo chirped. Kai took a small bite and peered into the bun, chewing thoughtfully. “I believe it is cinnamon,” he answered.

Many people came up to them after that, offering them free food, and Kyungsoo was helpless to resist. He received two skewers of spicy marinated beef, a serving of local vegetable salad (most of the leaves were unfamiliar to him), and a cup of alcoholic beverage. He couldn’t quite pronounce the name, but threw it back into his mouth and drank all of it. “Tastes like cider,” he decided, when Kai looked at him.

“Does your Pureblood world have any of this?” Kai asked, curious. “It’s similar,” Kyungsoo laughed, nibbling on the salad. “Here, have some,” Kyungsoo shoved the salad at Kai, and he took one of the leaves, biting on it. Kyungsoo’s chest and head felt warm from the cider as he ate quietly, smiling at some of the people. Many seemed to be curious, although he didn’t understand why.

Then he heard a shout, and he turned his head to see who it was. “Oh God,” he groaned when he saw Baekhyun.

“Oi!” Baekhyun shouted at him, a poncho draped over his shoulders. His eyes were unfocused and Kyungsoo knew he was drunk from the way he pronounced his words. Kai scowled as he came close, but brightened up when he spotted Luhan.

 “Look who’s at the festival,” Baekhyun scoffed, holding a cup in his hands unsteadily. “Look who’s already drunk,” Kyungsoo countered. He bit at the skewered meat, the flavour burning his lips. “Y’know this is all for you, like that Lana Del Rey song,” Baekhyun slurred, stumbling over the cobblestone road.

“How does it go again?” Baekhyun said absently, sipping at what Kyungsoo assumed must be cider. “It’s you, it’s you, it’s all for you…” Baekhyun swayed, closing his eyes.

“What do you mean, it’s all for me? Isn’t it to celebrate the full moon?” Kyungsoo asked, starting to doubt Baekhyun’s sanity. Luhan caught their conversation and broke off mid sentence to slap a hand over Baekhyun’s mouth when he was about to reply, smiling brightly at Kyungsoo. “It’s the liquor talking,” he said, pulling Baekhyun away. “Come, Baekhyun,” Luhan said, tugging his arm as they headed to the opposite direction. “Bye, Kai,” Luhan called, turning to wave briefly at Kai. Baekhyun and Luhan stumbled back into the local pub, feet tripping over one another.

Kai smiled, dim shadows cast over his face in the lantern lights, and Kyungsoo felt some sort of emotion swell within his chest. He didn’t know what it was, but he knew he wasn’t in love; it was probably just tender curiosity.

“Do you want to rejoin the parade?” Kai asked, picking at Kyungsoo’s food. “Um, no… I think I want to look around your town a bit more,” Kyungsoo answered. “Big crowds aren’t for me,” Kyungsoo sighed, remembering how chaotic the parade was. They walked together leisurely again, their arms bumping whenever someone brushed past either of them.

Kyungsoo was offered more cider as they passed several pubs abuzz with merriness and cheer. He felt like he was taking a visit in Christmas Town, what with the way people kept smiling everywhere. Kyungsoo was starting to like the town, even if he hadn’t seen much of it yet. It wasn’t so much about the places and buildings as it was about the atmosphere, warm and fuzzy. Kai too, sipped at the cider, glancing at Kyungsoo every so often.

“Y’know, if your town’s like this every day, I wouldn’t mind staying,” Kyungsoo said once they were standing beneath a large willow tree by a river to take a break from the walk. The cider was starting to take effect, his body temperature spiking up inside his parka. The river looked calm, with some people on the other side sitting and talking by the riverside. They scuttled away however, when they saw Kai.

“ _Min_ _kjærlighet,_ if it pleases you then the town will be like this for as long as you want,” Kai said, stepping close to him. “You know I can’t stay,” Kyungsoo mumbled back, twiddling with his thumbs, the mug between his hands.

“Why?” Kai sounded petulant. Kyungsoo reached out and touched Kai’s face, unable to truly convey what he wanted to say. “I need to be back home with my family,” Kyungsoo said softly.

“There’s… responsibilities, and priorities to fulfil back home, and I can’t do it here,” Kyungsoo said, swallowing the lump in his throat thickly. He didn’t know how the night turned so serious all of a sudden but he knew he wasn’t going to like it.

 He drank the last drops of cider and quickly, putting the mug down on the ground after realizing there was nowhere else to put it down. When he straightened himself his head spun dizzily, his hand reaching out for Kai for support.

“I’m going to sit,” Kyungsoo slurred, slumping down on the grass. “Oh look, a pretty fish,” he pointed at a koi fish with red and black spots swimming in the river as Kai sat down beside him as well, bringing his knees up. “I really, really have to go back tomorrow,” Kyungsoo said, eyeing the fish as it swam about in front of him.

“And don’t be lookin’ for me when I go back…” Kyungsoo put out a finger in front of Kai’s face, which Kai ignored, staring at him intently. “’Cause you would be difficult to explain to my parents,” Kyungsoo mumbled, leaning on Kai’s shoulder.

“Why am I so tired, it’s barely eleven,” Kyungsoo grumped, hugging Kai’s arm. Kai laughed softly, rubbing his nose into Kyungsoo’s hair. “It is the ninth hour of the night now,” Kai told him, watching Kyungsoo’s eyes fall shut.

“Don’t leave, _min_ _kjærlighet,_ ” Kai whispered, running a hand through Kyungsoo’s hair soothingly. “Don’t leave even when the morning comes.”

He sounded like he was pleading with Kyungsoo, and Kyungsoo wanted to give in so badly, but…

 _But what?_ Kyungsoo thought. _Do I even_ want _to go back?_

“Trust me, I want to stay,” Kyungsoo replied him a few seconds too late. “Then stay,” Kai brought Kyungsoo’s head up, his breath brushing over Kyungsoo’s face like a feather.

“I don’t…” Kyungsoo opened his eyes for a few brief seconds, pulling Kai’s face to him. Kai kissed Kyungsoo gently, his hand cupping the back of Kyungsoo’s head. Kyungsoo’s eyes slipped closed as he kissed Kai back, losing himself in the sensation of Kai’s lips on his own.

“There’s no reason for me to stay,” Kyungsoo gasped when Kai pulled away first breathlessly. “Stay for me,” Kai pulled him close to kiss him again, placing his lips on Kyungsoo’s open mouth.

Kyungsoo held onto Kai’s arm desperately, tightly, because there were stars spinning in his eyes and the strangest of sensations in his chest as Kai kissed him ardently. The world melted into the night, Kyungsoo’s mind lost in Kai’s embrace.

Kyungsoo’s heart clenched when he realized that Kai would never be his, not his pretty face and electric soul, not his world and he would always have to go back to his world, back to the numbers he once thought were so beautiful. Kyungsoo felt broken and complete all at once, torn between going back and staying here with Kai, who was everything anyone could ever dream of in a partner.

  _I wish I could stay_ , Kyungsoo thought again and again in his mind, words echoing in his mind faster than he could comprehend.

Finally Kai broke the kiss to breathe, his hand caressing Kyungsoo’s face and neck tenderly. “If you are not too long, I will wait here for you all my life,” Kai looked into Kyungsoo’s eyes.

Kyungsoo looked away to avoid Kai’s gaze.

“I—Kai, I promise I’ll come back,” Kyungsoo said to Kai, wanting to cling on the hope that Kai would still receive him someday.

“Not Kai, _min_ _kjærlighet,_ not to you,” Kai placed his hand over Kyungsoo’s. “Jongin,” he whispered, kissing his fingers.

“J-Jongin,” Kyungsoo gulped, leaning in for a small kiss. Jongin returned the kiss, his lips soft against Kyungsoo’s.

“I think we should go now,” Kyungsoo said, clutching Jongin’s hand. “As you wish,” he acceded. He helped Kyungsoo up and said that he would be off to get the horse, so Kyungsoo was left waiting under the willow tree, feeling more than just a little bit drunk and far too sober for his taste.

*

Once they were back in the castle and ready for bed (at eight, seriously), Kyungsoo wasn’t sure if he was supposed to sleep in Jongin’s bed. Kyungsoo wasn’t even sure if he was allowed to sleep there now that he’d be leaving.

 “ _Min_ _kjærlighet_ , I’ve prepared the horses and we shall be ready to leave in the morning,” Jongin said, entering the room after speaking with Minseok outside. Kyungsoo had left a note on Luhan’s door addressed to Baekhyun, telling him to get ready by morning light or _I swear to God I’ll leave you here and smash the bathtub to pieces_ , he had threatened, underlining the words.

“Thanks, Ka—Jongin. It means a lot to me that you’re letting me go home,” Kyungsoo said, fingering his nightgown. Kyungsoo couldn’t fucking believe that men here either slept commando or wore a nightgown that looked like it came out of a bad horror movie. Jongin however, seemed pleased to see Kyungsoo wearing it. He had blushed a deep red when he first saw Kyungsoo wearing the mint green thing, and he still couldn’t make eye contact with him now as they spoke.

“It’s no bother, love,” Jongin replied, rubbing the back of his neck.

“So do I sleep with you or…?”

“The servants can prepare a room for you if you wish to spend the night alone,” Jongin said, taking off his jacket and dropping it on the floor.

“Is it okay if I stay here? With you?” Kyungsoo asked quietly, ears burning red at the thought of rejection.

Jongin sounded surprised when he said, “O-Of course, love. The pleasure would be all mine to welcome you into my bed once again.”

Kyungsoo stifled a yawn and stepped towards the bed, touching the sheets lightly. “Could you wake me up in the morning?” he asked, sitting down cautiously. He dimly noted that someone had come in and redid the sheets that he had messed up earlier in the day.

Jongin gave him a nod, taking off his shirt easily. Kyungsoo breathed heavily, the sight of Jongin’s golden brown skin drawing him in. He wanted to touch his body, feel his abs whenever he bent a certain way, and ooh, look at the belly button—

Jongin caught Kyungsoo staring when he fumbled with his jeans. “Oh, yes, forgive me love,” he said, and Kyungsoo blinked, confused, before Jongin pulled his jeans back up. “It’s okay if you’re not comfortable, Jongin, really,” Kyungsoo quickly said when he realized what was happening.

“If you’re uncomfortable with nudity, _min_ _kjærlighet_ , you needn’t worry,” Jongin insisted, getting into bed beside Kyungsoo. “You’d do anything for me, wouldn’t you?” Kyungsoo croaked.

Jongin’s expression softened. “Of course, _min_ _kjærlighet_. Anything at all,” he smiled, almost blinding Kyungsoo with the beauty of it. “I’m sorry I’m such a hassle with you,” he said, flipping the sheets over to put his feet in.

“You are not a hassle, love. Never,” Jongin said, snuffing the candle on the bedside table at his side of the bed with his bare fingers. Kyungsoo followed suit, blowing the candle out, plunging the room into darkness with the exception of light coming from the window behind the bed. He had found out through Jongin that only certain places had electricity, like inns, pubs and his own castle. Jongin however, didn’t like the thought of electricity in his own room, and so candles were still very much in use, just as the rest of Lycanfort.

Kyungsoo settled into the bed, figure straight as an arrow to avoid contact with Jongin because if he touched Jongin he might never stop. The ceiling had ghostly white shadows floating over it, the curtain fluttering in the wind. Jongin fidgeted on the bed a bit, pulling this and that and putting pillows here and there.

“You know, I never got around to asking,” Kyungsoo said after ten minutes, voice loud in the awkward silence.

“Yes?”

“How did you get jeans around here?” Kyungsoo asked, turning his head to look at him. Jongin looked embarrassed at the question but said, “I stole them from the Pureblood world to clothe myself when necessary,” he laughed shyly.

“I could get you clothes, you know. Maybe throw them down the Portal or something?”

“If you want to, _min_ _kjærlighet_ ,” Jongin said, smiling gently at him.

“What does that mean?” Kyungsoo asked, his body feeling all snug and comfy on the bed. He must’ve been more emotionally drained than he thought, because his eyes were starting to close.

“What is it, love?” he heard Jongin ask.

“That thing you keep calling me, min somethin’,” Kyungsoo mumbled sleepily. There was silence for a while, and he thought that maybe Jongin was too shy to answer, letting sleep claim him.

“It means my love,” Jongin said, gripping the blanket in his hands. He looked over at Kyungsoo to gauge his reaction but relaxed once he saw that Kyungsoo was asleep, his breathing slow and even.

Jongin shuffled closer to Kyungsoo, putting his head beside Kyungsoo’s, foreheads close enough to touch. “It means my love, _min_ _kjærlighet_ ,” he said once more, kissing Kyungsoo on the lips.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love castles on hills and other medieval shit like that. Movies like to show girls standing on balconies and looking down at That Hot Guy, and i just wanted it for this chapter lol. Also, min kjærlighet came from google translate when i was trying to find a language that wasn't french or spanish but still sounded romantic. Soooooooo, i got norwegian!


	4. think I'll miss you forever, like the stars miss the sun in the morning sky

“This is goodbye, then,” Kyungsoo said, a lump in his throat.

They had woken up early today, Baekhyun grumbling about hangovers and appointments. The sun still burned the sky a fiery orange as they stood in a cluster of six by the Portal, which surprisingly enough, was two trees twisted around each other by the trunk with a gap in between them, big enough for a person to pass through.

The six of them, Baekhyun, Kyungsoo, Luhan, Jongin, Minseok and one of Jongin’s betas, Suho, had ridden all the way out into the forest a few miles north of the castle and now that they were finally here, at the end of the journey, Kyungsoo didn’t want to leave. He wanted to stay a few minutes longer, to stay and maybe have his extravagant breakfast all over again in Jongin’s presence, and to sleep one more night in Jongin’s bed.

Baekhyun was disappointed that they were truly leaving, but didn’t seem particularly bothered by it all. Kyungsoo supposed the fact that he wasn’t halfway in love with someone here had something to do with it. Jongin toyed with the horse’s reins in his hands, avoiding Kyungsoo’s gaze as he said, “When will you return?”

Kyungsoo wanted to smile. “I honestly can’t say when, Jongin but definitely someday,” he said, promising that much at least.

“I’ll wait,” Jongin said hoarsely, eyes downcast.

Kyungsoo went up to him, placing a hand on his cheek. Everyone turned away when he did that, Suho and Minseok looking in the distance while Baekhyun and Luhan discussed how beautiful the sunrise was loudly. “Have ya ever seen a Sun like that?” Kyungsoo could hear Baekhyun say in the background. He rolled his eyes mentally, noting silently to choke him later.

“Love, is there any way to make you stay?” Jongin asked, putting their foreheads together. His eyes were slightly wet, and it touched Kyungsoo like nothing could because nobody, not Baekhyun, not his first grade teacher who doted him, not his family, ever cried in front of him _for_ him.

Kyungsoo shook his head, feeling tears in his eyes as well. “You know I can’t,” he whispered, reaching for Jongin’s hand one last time. _One day, this will all be a dream_ , Kyungsoo thought. The fresh wind in his hair, the sun’s orange rays in the sky, the rough skin of Jongin’s hands…

Jongin placed something hard in Kyungsoo’s hand, warm from his touch. Kyungsoo looked down at it, and saw that it was a small wooden triangle with a swirling circle carved in it. “The symbol of my family,” Jongin said to him, wiping Kyungsoo’s tears away with a thumb. “I hope when you see this, you will think of me,” he kissed Kyungsoo hard, Kyungsoo tasting the salt of his tears.

“Fuck,” Kyungsoo said with feeling, gripping Jongin’s gift. “I wish I have something to give you,” Kyungsoo replied, looking around on his person to see if there was anything he could give away. “The memory of you is more than enough,” Jongin smiled through his tears, sniffling.

“Just promise you will return, Kyungsoo. Promise me, and it will suffice as a gift,” Jongin said, holding his hand tightly. “I will,” Kyungsoo said, on the verge of sobbing.

Baekhyun swooped in immediately, sensing Kyungsoo’s resolve melting. He touched Kyungsoo’s shoulder. “We’d better get going,” he mumbled, pointing at the Portal. The gap between the trees was rippling like the surface of water now, signalling that it was good to go.

“Goodbye,” Kyungsoo said, touching Jongin’s face one more time, desperate to remember each and every detail of his beautiful face before he never saw it again. He tore himself away, grabbing Baekhyun’s hand and stood before the Portal, watching the gap ripple.

“Let’s go,” Baekhyun said, and went through the gap, disappearing to the other side of the Portal. Kyungsoo put his hand through, his heart and mind going in two completely different ways. _I hate my life_ , Kyungsoo thought, holding his breath and bending over to enter the Portal. Water swirled around him and he instinctively put his arms up, touching something solid.

Pulling himself up, suddenly he was back, sitting in the bathtub, the full moon shining through the broken window beside the tub. Water rolled off of him, his hair soaking wet as was the rest of his clothes.

Baekhyun was sitting beside him, wringing water out of his own parka.

“Do you have a watch or something?” Baekhyun asked, looking around for anything that would indicate the time. Kyungsoo shook his head numbly, still thinking about how Jongin looked when he left. “Wait, I think I have my phone with me,” Baekhyun said, digging into his pants. He had whined about wearing one of Luhan’s nightgowns back, but Kyungsoo had given him a glancing blow to the head, effectively shutting him up.

“But we’re soaking wet,” Kyungsoo said, watching him dig it out. “It’s water proof. Sort of,” Baekhyun held it out to him; his lock screen was set to a picture of Chanyeol lying down on a bed while showing off his guns. Kyungsoo didn’t know whether he was supposed to be repulsed by it, but he certainly was and blinked away.

“So what day is it?” Kyungsoo asked, getting up. His body felt heavy from all the excess water, shoes squishing beneath his feet. Blood was spattered all over the floor of the bathroom, and Kyungsoo assumed it was blood from the vampire Baekhyun had mentioned.

Baekhyun checked his phone and surprised Kyungsoo by saying, “It’s still the same day,” Baekhyun said, showing it to Kyungsoo. “What? Are you sure?”

“Last I checked before we went through it was about eight thirty, I think. It’s eleven now, so we’ve been gone for four hours or so,” Baekhyun told him.

Kyungsoo cringed to think how much time would’ve past in Jongin’s world if he went back a year later.

“Kyungsoo, are you okay?” Baekhyun asked, getting onto his feet as well. His expression was concerned as he put a hand on Kyungsoo’s shoulder.

“I did the right thing, didn’t I? By leaving,” he mumbled, looking down at his hand to finger at Jongin’s gift.

Baekhyun sighed loudly, making ripples in the water with his feet. “You know I can’t answer that for you,” he replied.

“I wish we had never come,” Kyungsoo muttered. He got out of the tub, avoiding the blood all over the floor. It was wet and still fresh, with a stink permeating the air ever so slowly. “Aw, come on, don’t be like that, Kyungsoo. At least you met him, right?” Baekhyun made a face at the blood stains.

“What’s the point if I can’t have him?” Kyungsoo asked, his voice slightly louder than before. Baekhyun kept silent.

“I didn’t mean to yell at you, Baek,” Kyungsoo sighed, taking heavy steps to the smashed door. Splinters were sprinkled all over the ground, giving the blood stains a prickled surface. “S’okay,” Baekhyun shrugged, slinging an arm around Kyungsoo’s shoulder. “Sleepover?” he said, tilting his head.

The only time they ever had sleepovers was when Baekhyun broke up with whoever he was dating at the time, and needed someone to blubber and cry with. Kyungsoo never thought they’d have one in his favour. “Sleepover.”

*

At Baekhyun’s place, his mom yelled at the both of them for coming home so late and “Why are you both soaking wet?” as she fussed over the both of them. “We were walking and fell into the river while skating,” Baekhyun lied smoothly.

“Why would you skate when you know the ice is thin in early winter?” his mother chided, kicking a floor mat at the both of them to soak up the water at their feet.

“It looked magical,” Baekhyun answered.

“Also, mom, Kyungsoo’s sleeping over tonight,” Baekhyun said to his mother and she lifted an eyebrow at him.

“I never knew he had a boyfriend,” she said, collecting their parkas. Apparently she knew the reason behind their rare sleepovers. _Must’ve been the thin walls of Baekhyun’s bedroom_ , Kyungsoo thought.

“Not anymore,” Baekhyun replied, helping his mother to hang the clothes up. She shooed him away, complaining about his incompetence at anything to do with domestication and told them to go change. 

“Thanks,” Baekhyun said sheepishly, clambering up the stairs. “I’ll inform your mother, Kyungsoo. She’s been worried sick,” Baekhyun’s mother called up at him. “Okay,” he replied, following Baekhyun up.

“Here are some pants you can wear, and you can just pick a sweater. Don’t wear the black one though, it’s Chanyeol’s and I wanna keep the smell of him intact…” Baekhyun left the room to let Kyungsoo change while he went off to shower in his parents’ room.

Kyungsoo changed into Baekhyun’s clothes, his body on autopilot. He was enveloped in the warmth of Baekhyun’s fleece sweater and warm track bottoms, his mind numb as he kept replaying the scene Jongin’s wet eyes in his head. 

He flopped down on Baekhyun’s bed, touching the insignia of Jongin’s heritage, the only proof he had that everything wasn’t a dream. He towelled his hair dry, wondering if he could live life feeling like this every day. Didn’t they always say that it would get better someday?

 _Yeah, but when? In a day? A year? Five years?_ Kyungsoo thought morosely. These thoughts swirled around his head until Baekhyun came in the room, texting furiously on his phone. “I just sent a selfie to Chanyeol but he hasn’t replied,” Baekhyun frowned.

“What, in the bathroom? Naked?” Kyungsoo asked.

“We’re a couple, we’re allowed to do things,” Baekhyun retorted, tossing his phone on the bed, and lying down beside Kyungsoo.

“What did Jongin give you?” he asked, folding his arms. Kyungsoo handed it to him, and Baekhyun turned it around and around, admiring it. “Cool. What is it?”

“His family’s insignia,” Kyungsoo answered feeling a pang of jealousy as Baekhyun touched its dark, wooden surface. For some reason, Kyungsoo felt like snatching it back but resisted the urge; he knew Baekhyun would never do anything to it.

“I think Luhan has one of this on a necklace,” Baekhyun handed it back to him. “Well, they are brothers,” Kyungsoo took it back, fisting it.

“When are you gonna go back?” Baekhyun asked softly, looking at him.

Kyungsoo shrugged his shoulders. “When it’s convenient, I guess,” Kyungsoo pocketed the insignia.

“When it’s convenient? Kyungsoo, don’t you like this guy?” Baekhyun asked, sitting up to eye him suspiciously.

“I do, Baek, that’s why I’m sparing the both of us from more pain when I have to come back. What if I get old, Baekhyun? I don’t think he’d want me anymore when I’m wrinkly and senile,” Kyungsoo snapped.

“He wouldn’t be so shallow, Kyungsoo, even I can see that,” Baekhyun said calmly. “Well, I decided to not go back, ever. Happy?” Kyungsoo turned over and put a pillow over his head.

He could hear Baekhyun get off the bed, and he thought that maybe Baekhyun was sulking, but he just turned off the lights and settled in beside Kyungsoo, throwing the covers over himself. “Just think about it,” Baekhyun said quietly, and he was silent after that.

 _The more I think about it, the more it hurts_ , Kyungsoo thought, feeling tears in his eyes. He remembered how it felt to wake up with Jongin in the morning, the way he kissed Kyungsoo slowly until he couldn’t breathe, and the way he smiled at something Kyungsoo had said that had amused him. He remembered the dream he had while sleeping beside Jongin, where Jongin had whispered the words ‘my love’ to him over and over again.

  _I can’t do this_ , Kyungsoo thought desperately, wiping his tears away with a sleeve.

It had been a mere hour or so since he had seen Jongin but already his heart ached and Kyungsoo thought that this was what people meant about being heartbroken; his heart felt like it had been wrenched out with a pair of tongs and someone who hated his guts had stomped all over it.

 _Please God,_ Kyungsoo prayed, putting his hands together. _Take the pain away._

*

At eight in the morning, Kyungsoo left Baekhyun sleeping peacefully in his room. He barely slept the night before, and every time he closed his eyes he would see Jongin in tears, begging him not to leave.

 He went downstairs to thank Mrs. Byun who was already awake and bustling about in the kitchen. She was concerned about how sullen Kyungsoo looked, but he waved her away, refusing breakfast because he couldn’t stomach anything right now. She had patted him on the back and told him that everything would be alright, even if things didn’t seem okay right now.

Kyungsoo thought that sounded like a beautiful lie.

The fresh smell of mildew greeted Kyungsoo once he was outside and he breathed in the scent of early mornings gratefully. He didn’t know when it started getting difficult to breathe, but he had a notion that it must’ve started last night. Kyungsoo stretched his limbs outside Baekhyun’s apartment, jogging on his feet to evade the cold air from seeping in.

He started off walking home alone, passing elderly people heading towards morning markets and young kids hurrying down their paths to get to school. Kyungsoo wanted to turn back time and go back to high school once more, to reminisce the uncomplicated, routine days of his life where nothing out of the ordinary happened, and nothing unexpected was expected.

Buildings that once seemed familiar to him now loomed over his stature, intimidating in their own right with their brick walls and sharp angles. Kyungsoo found himself resenting the way his world was, the lack of warmth that practically oozed out from the little village in Lycanfort. There were no bright lights in his world, none that shone with friendliness, and there was a lack of empathy in his town that he suddenly craved for in Lycanfort.

 _Maybe this is what hell really is,_ Kyungsoo mused. _Give you a taste of heaven and take it away_ , Kyungsoo thought bitterly.

He took out Jongin’s insignia, looking at it once more. The fact that Jongin had given him such a personal gift made Kyungsoo feel like crying all over again, the fact that he was willing to give away something so important to him.

Kyungsoo could barely hold in his tears by the time he reached home, a little three bedroom apartment and a pretty front door (his mother’s idea), a shoe rack standing neatly by the wall. He kicked off his shoes and twisted the doorknob, thankful for the morning walks his mother loved to take on Friday mornings.

He went into his room, wishing his father who sat at the TV a half hearted good morning. “Your mother’s upset, Kyungsoo,” he warned him.

“So am I,” he muttered softly enough that no one heard him, shutting the door and throwing his parka down to the ground. He undressed slowly, deciding to take a shower before giving himself a head start on some work he had to do if he wanted to become an intern. His professors had said that he had the potential to go further, and once he would’ve been thankful, but now he only felt pressured to do his best when this was the worst he had ever been.

His mother returned home from her walk just as Kyungsoo stepped out of the shower, water dripping from his hair as she said, “Kyungsoo, I need to talk to you. Come to the kitchen once you’re dressed.”

He sighed, preparing himself mentally for the onslaught of nags he would receive from his mother. It was the last thing he needed right now, but there wasn’t much he could do to avoid it, so he dressed as slowly as possible, thinking about the questions that she was bound to ask about and memorized the answers carefully; he and Baekhyun had taken the wrong turn on their walk and somehow fell into a half frozen river, no wolves or vampires at all in the story.

Kyungsoo came out of his room, his father shrugging sympathetically at him; he must’ve tried to placate Mrs. Do, but his efforts must have been in vain as she sat at the dining table, posture straight and curly hair curled to the max while she sorted vegetables and tucked them into different plastic bags to organize them neatly into the fridge later on. The TV volume was off, making Kyungsoo even more nervous, but he tried not to show it, shoulders relaxed and hands at his sides.

“Son, sit down,” she said, and Kyungsoo obliged, pulling out a chair to sit down across the table from her.

“Son, has something been bothering you?” she asked, putting a packet of green beans together with a bag of kidney beans.

“Um, no,” he replied. The question kind of threw him off, but he didn’t allow himself to let his guard down yet; this was Mrs. Do after all, the woman who could probably extricate information from a dog if she had to find out about something.

“Mrs. Byun told me you slept over at her apartment last night. There’s no harm in that since you’ve done it a few times, except that her son mentioned a boyfriend?” Mrs. Do said, tone light and casual, as if she were discussing the weather.

“There’s no boyfriend,” Kyungsoo said at once. _So she’s concerned about the boyfriend part more than about her son getting lost on a walk?_ Kyungsoo thought incredulously.

“There’s no need to lie to your parents, Kyungsoo,” his mother replied. “I’m not lying,” Kyungsoo said, exasperated.

“Son, I was once your age, and I remember having two boyfriends at one time when I was nineteen. Really, there’s no shame in it,” she said, cutting the ends off of a bunch of lady’s fingers with a small knife.

Kyungsoo couldn’t be any more mortified by this ‘talk’ he was having with his mother. “Mom, really, there’s no boyfriend—”

“Very well then, if you’re not ready to admit it,” she pursed her lips, clearly disappointed but nevertheless undeterred by Kyungsoo’s denial. “However, son, what I really wanted to talk to you about is time management, son,” she said, putting her knife down.

“What about it?” Kyungsoo said, leaning back. At least they were off the boyfriend subject.

“Son, it’s a crucial time in your life right now, and your father and I have high hopes for you,” she paused, folding her hands together, “There is no harm in going out and spending time with _people_ ,” she emphasised, glancing at Mr. Do for reassurance.

“But just remember that it’s important to balance everything out,” she finished, pleased with her speech. _She must’ve practiced all night_ , Kyungsoo scoffed mentally. “Is that all?” he asked cautiously.

“Yes it is, dear. Anything to add, darling?” his mother asked Mr. Do who shook his head, sitting on the sofa in a lump. He turned the TV volume up, and Kyungsoo knew the worst was over.

“I’ll keep everything in mind,” Kyungsoo muttered, getting up to go to back into his room. “Have you had breakfast, dear?” his mother called. “Yeah,” he lied, footsteps heavy. He didn’t think he could ever eat again, with the way his stomach was in knots over Jongin.

Kyungsoo spent the next few hours reading and rereading the same sentences two, three, four times in his head because Jongin kept appearing in his mind, his smile, his laugh, his gentle manner, his hands… By the time he finished reading the first five pages of his notes, Kyungsoo was too worn out to even think, his mind numb and throbbing.

A glance at his clock told him that it was almost lunchtime, and he decided to take a break for now, at least until his head stopped throbbing. When he opened the door, the smell of cooking rice was in the air, as well as an underlying smell of kimchi.

He helped to set out the table, distributing chopsticks and spoons. His mother told him to put out the rice bowls, and he did so, the mindlessness of his hands setting him at ease. They were about to start when there was a knock on the door, and Kyungsoo got up to answer it. _It’s probably the postman with the mail_ , he thought, throwing the door open.

Outside, Baekhyun was standing on his doorstep, shivering with snowflakes flecked on his hair and clothes. “Baek?” Kyungsoo was stunned to see him.

“Who is it, son?” his father called, and ambled over to take a look. Baekhyun grabbed Kyungsoo’s wrist, hands trembling as tears pooled around his eyes. “Chanyeol, it’s Chanyeol, Kyungsoo, oh my god,” Baekhyun babbled. “What’s wrong?” Kyungsoo asked, pulling Baekhyun in. Kyungsoo’s father came over then to see who it was, and laughed when he saw that it was Baekhyun. “Honey, its Mrs. Byun’s kid!” he called out to the kitchen.

“Heyya kid, what’s wrong?” Kyungsoo’s dad noticed Baekhyun’s trembling frame with one look and frowned.

“It’s Chanyeol, Kyungsoo, you have to help me—he’s missing and I don’t know what to do—”

“What?” Kyungsoo gasped. “He’s gone, Kyungsoo, you have to help me find him, please—” Baekhyun clutched Kyungsoo’s arm. “Whoa, calm down,” Kyungsoo guided Baekhyun to the sofa, and sat him down.

“What do you mean he’s missing?” Kyungsoo asked. This was the first time anything like this ever happened in their town.

“Last night, he went out to look for us, and he didn’t come back, so his mom thought he was with me but obviously I was with you—” Baekhyun sobbed, and Kyungsoo hugged him, rubbing his back soothingly. Kyungsoo’s mother had heard it all and went off to call somebody, probably Mrs. Park, in her room. “We—we have to look for him,” Baekhyun said, his words mashing together.

“I haven’t um, eaten yet though,” Kyungsoo said, biting his lip because he _did_ want to help but after skipping breakfast his stomach was now growling louder than a thunderstorm. “Let me pack my food up and I’ll come with you. Ten minutes, tops,” he promised, and Baekhyun nodded.

Kyungsoo scrambled off to the kitchen, looking for a container to put all of his food in. His father told him that he would inform his mother, who was still yapping away in the other room, about Kyungsoo’s hasty departure, and handed him a twenty dollar note for emergencies. “Thanks, dad,” Kyungsoo said, using his chopsticks to push the rice into the container. After dumping lots of kimchi and bean sprouts as well as other condiments, he covered it up, running into his room to get a coat on.

Two minutes later, Baekhyun and Kyungsoo were in the elevator, riding down to the ground floor. “Did you call the police?” Kyungsoo asked, putting a hand over Baekhyun’s shoulder.

“His mom did, and they’re checking all the nearby towns right now,” Baekhyun mumbled, twisting his ring anxiously. Baekhyun and Chanyeol were disgustingly romantic with each other and had exchanged rings with each other to ‘symbolize our love.’

“But did they start in town yet?” Kyungsoo asked. The elevator dinged, and they stepped out into the empty corridor, the cold air surrounding them in a cold embrace.

“No, they didn’t have enough people or something,” Baekhyun said, hiccupping. “Oh. Well, we’ll make up for it, okay? I brought torches, some extra food, clothes… We’ll search all day if we have to,” Kyungsoo said grimly, determined to put in his effort for his best friend. He knew Chanyeol meant a lot to Baekhyun and that Baekhyun would’ve done the exact same thing for him if it happened to Kyungsoo. It was only natural to be there for Baekhyun.

“Should we start in his area?” Kyungsoo asked Baekhyun. “We could ask around and see when he was last seen,” Kyungsoo said helpfully, and Baekhyun agreed. They lost daylight quickly in winter, and they needed all the time they could get.

Kyungsoo and Baekhyun took a bus to Chanyeol’s neighbourhood which was a little ways off to the other end of town. Apparently, everyone had already heard of it, because people stared at the both of them, at Kyungsoo’s determined expression and Baekhyun’s pale face while they waited for the bus. Kyungsoo did nothing, but gave people scathing looks whenever they stared too long; they were probably expecting Baekhyun to break down crying or something equally dramatic, but if that ever happened, Kyungsoo promised himself to protect Baekhyun.

Baekhyun was silent on the bus ride, very unlike him, but Kyungsoo understood well and didn’t push him to talk, only to ask him questions on where he thought Chanyeol could be. “He could be anywhere,” he said softly, looking out of the window blankly. Kyungsoo said nothing but squeezed his hand comfortingly and smiled gently in Baekhyun’s direction. “I’m here with you, and we _will_ find Chanyeol, Baek. That tall son of a gun can’t just disappear,” he joked, making Baekhyun laugh weakly. “Thanks for being here,” Baekhyun said, leaning on Kyungsoo’s shoulder

“You’re my friend, there’s nothing I won’t do,” Kyungsoo replied, his heart feeling oddly hollow as he thought of Jongin.

*

 Two hours of scouring each and every store they passed and this was what Kyungsoo and Baekhyun managed to find out: Chanyeol had left his house at ten thirty when Baekhyun’s mother called his mother up, and passed by the florist while she was closing up. He stopped by McDonald’s at eleven to get something to eat (a Happy meal, the staff had told them) and took the bus to their side of town, thus ending their search on this end of town.

“That means that he was around our area when he was taken,” Kyungsoo mused, chewing on a bean sprout thoughtfully. They had taken the bus back to their town once they confirmed that no one else had seen Chanyeol past midnight. They sat in the back to discuss their new findings quietly, Baekhyun much more bright eyed than before.

“Since he’s pretty recognizable, I think people would be able to tell it’s him even if it’s at night,” Baekhyun said, stealing some rice from Kyungsoo’s lunchbox. “True,” Kyungsoo commented, nodding. The sun was setting over the horizon, the sunset itself not visible because of all the buildings in the way, but Kyungsoo remembered the way the sun had set in Lycanfort, and his heart burned, wondering how much time has already passed for Jongin.

“Do you think… Jongin misses me?” Kyungsoo asked softly, spoon in his mouth. Baekhyun looked at him and nodded his head. “And I’m sure you miss him too,” Baekhyun said, picking at his food.

“No, I don’t, I just…I think about him a little is all,” Kyungsoo said indignantly. “Isn’t it too early to ‘miss’ someone I just saw a few hours ago, anyway?”

“Is it?” Baekhyun said dryly, lifting an eyebrow at Kyungsoo. The bus halted in its tracks, and they got off at the bus stop, finishing up Kyungsoo’s lunch before they would continue their search. “I just can’t believe how the one day that I leave this world, Chanyeol is gone and it feels like it’s the price to pay for all the fun I had,” Baekhyun said, looking at the road with a distant expression.

“Hey, hey, none of that. The fact that we went there had nothing to do with Chanyeol’s disappearance, alright?” Kyungsoo snapped his fingers in front of Baekhyun.

“Well, okay, but what if he was taken by one of the Tainted beings here?” Baekhyun asked, pouting.

Kyungsoo paused. “You know, we actually never considered that,” he said, cocking his head to one side. “The police suspected it was a Tainted attack, but since there’s no blood splatters on the ground, no howls…”

“Baekhyun,” Kyungsoo said slowly, gears clicking in his brain as he thought harder about it. “Baekhyun, what if it _was_ a Tainted attack?”

Baekhyun gulped, looking at Kyungsoo’s frightened expression. “What do you mean?” he squeaked, shuffling closer to Kyungsoo, glancing around in fear.

“Think about it! Vampires and werewolves have an acute sense of smell, and the vampire Jongin killed might’ve been alive after all. You didn’t actually _see_ its dead body, did you?” Kyungsoo asked. He could practically see a light bulb go ping! above Baekhyun’s head. “No but…All that blood…” 

“Maybe Chanyeol went down that road, and it recognized your scent on Chanyeol? He might’ve killed Chanyeol there; no one ever goes down that road!” Kyungsoo said, voice loud now. “B-But…” Baekhyun said weakly.

“Hurry!” Kyungsoo turned and ran in the direction of that road, winding his way around buildings quickly. _Chanyeol could still be alive_ , he thought, crossing a red light. He wondered how everything seemed fine when they left the house; did Chanyeol go on looking for them after they had already left?

“We’d better check the forest,” Kyungsoo said breathlessly when Baekhyun caught up to him, running along beside him. Baekhyun nodded silently, eyes hard as he inhaled and exhaled at a rapid pace.

They took a left past their favourite bakery, and ran through an alleyway, rubbish strewn all over the place and graffiti splashed on the wall.

“We’re almost there,” Kyungsoo panted, more and more trees appearing as they approached the edge of town. They stopped when they reached the end of the road, knees trembling and hearts racing while the sun finally went down. “Look for clues,” Baekhyun nudged Kyungsoo, and they entered the forest, dead leaves and shrubbery poking them in the shins and calves.

“Don’t wander too deep into the woods,” Kyungsoo reminded Baekhyun as they crouched low to search for anything that might indicate Chanyeol’s presence. “There’s some footprints here, but they’re not Chanyeol’s size,” Baekhyun called, a few feet ahead of him.

Kyungsoo went to his side, and saw multiple footprints, as well as cleared out spaces. “I think this was where Jongin slept,” Kyungsoo said, touching the soil. It was damp beneath his fingers, brown and stinky. “There’s claw marks on the tree here too,” Baekhyun tapped at a tree beside him. Five parallel lines had been gouged through the tree, ants marching over the lines in a neat line.

“He told me that he’d always watch us take walks at night,” Kyungsoo said softly, wiping his fingers on his jeans. “I know. Luhan told me,” Baekhyun replied, looking around for more clues. “If Jongin made claw marks here, I don’t think the vampire would hang out in this place,” Kyungsoo suggested, glancing around. He dug into his bag for a moment and handed Baekhyun a torch, holding a small one for himself.

“Yeah, I think so too,” Baekhyun concurred, kicking at the leaves beneath his feet. “Kinda smells like dog in here, doesn’t it?” Baekhyun asked.

Kyungsoo didn’t know if he was supposed to be affronted by that, but he certainly was and said curtly, “Smells like forest to me.”

He shone the torch towards the road and walked past Baekhyun, waving his torch around aimlessly. Baekhyun did the same, bending over to avoid a branch as he left the forest and stepped onto the road, the tar firm beneath his feet.

“What’s that?” Kyungsoo asked, shining his torch straight down the road. Baekhyun shone his torch in the same direction and squinted, spotting a rock in the middle of the road some distance away from them, and said as much.

“It’s not a rock, it’s purple in colour, how can it be a rock?” Kyungsoo tsked at Baekhyun, walking towards it. “Sorry I don’t have owl eyes,” Baekhyun grumbled and missed Kyungsoo’s fist by an inch.

“Don’t make fun of me. It’s rude,” Kyungsoo retorted, his torch shining relentlessly on the object.

“So is punching your best friend,” Baekhyun replied, smacking Kyungsoo’s bum and giggling as he dodged Kyungsoo once more. “I hope you trip over another rock,” Kyungsoo growled, finally reaching the object and looked at it cautiously.

“It’s a toy,” Baekhyun picked it up. It was a small Furby, its big and glassy eyes staring up at Baekhyun. “It’s from McDonald’s, isn’t it?” Kyungsoo asked quietly. Baekhyun read the label on the back, nodding when he saw the M on the little label. “At least we’re on the right track, Baekhyun,” Kyungsoo said, watching Baekhyun tuck the toy into his backpack.

“If the vampire killed Chanyeol, I’m willing to bet he did it in the house,” Baekhyun gestured at the house with his chin.

“Are you okay with… going in there?” Kyungsoo asked curiously. Baekhyun had an indecipherable expression on his face. “I won’t leave him there,” was all he said, and Kyungsoo took it as a yes to his question.

 “You know, I thought I’d never come here again, at least for the next twenty years, but it’s been like, a day, and here we are again. Walking on this road,” Kyungsoo said. His heart fluttered with the anticipation of seeing Jongin again, but he held in; there might be no reason at all to enter the Portal.

Baekhyun exhaled through his nose, stuffing his hands into his pockets. “I’m sort of scared to know what we’ll find there, but I still wanna know if Chanyeol’s been there, y’know?” he said, voice quiet.

Kyungsoo nodded; he had never been in a situation where someone he loved was in danger but Kyungsoo understood how Baekhyun felt; better to have closure than to be left in limbo, not knowing which side of the fence was the right one. “It’s kind of weird how we never met Chanyeol on the way home,” Baekhyun said, thinking out loud.

“Maybe he came from the other side of the road? It’s longer there and we could’ve been gone by the time he actually came here,” Kyungsoo reasoned. It only left with them an ominous feeling that Chanyeol had been attacked when he was all alone, with no one to help him.  

They reached the house within minutes, Kyungsoo sweating inside his coat. Baekhyun went in first, examining the interior of the house. It was the same as they had left it, table overturned in the front room, main stairs falling apart, broken chandelier hanging precariously from the ceiling. They took the back stairs again, somehow feeling a bit familiar with it than the main stairs.

“Let’s check the bathroom first,” Baekhyun said. “Yeah, I think the vamp would’ve known about the Portal,” Kyungsoo agreed, heading to the bathroom.

“There are some footprints here,” Baekhyun pointed at the dusty floor, footprints and smudges ruining the surface.

“They’re not ours,” Kyungsoo said, comparing his own footprint with the one on the floor. They shared the same shoe size, and this clearly far too large to belong to either of them. Baekhyun, meanwhile, had entered the bathroom first, and while Kyungsoo considered taking a photo of the footprint, he heard a gasp from the bathroom.

“Baekhyun? Is anything wrong?” he asked, concerned. Kyungsoo went in the bathroom and spotted Baekhyun holding something in his hands, his body utterly still.

“It’s Chanyeol’s snapback,” Baekhyun held up the black snapback towards Kyungsoo. “And look at the blood stains, Kyungsoo,” Baekhyun said, tone quavering. Kyungsoo shifted his gaze, pointing his torch towards the floor.

The blood stains were messier now, with footprints and smudges all over the ground that weren’t there before. It looked like there had been a struggle, and Baekhyun held back a sob, putting a hand to his mouth. “The vamp definitely went through the Portal,” Kyungsoo decided, glancing at the walls. There was blood splatters painted on the wall where there was none the night before.

“We have to go get Chanyeol then,” Baekhyun said, walking towards the tub. “Wait, wait!” Kyungsoo held up a hand, halting Baekhyun in his tracks. “Take off your clothes first,” Kyungsoo said, unbuttoning his coat.

“What? Hell no, Kyungsoo, I will not join you in a threesome with Kai, even if he’s hot—”

“I HAVEN’T HAD SEX WITH HIM YET!” Kyungsoo shrieked, blood rushing to his face. “And it’s not about that, for God’s sake! Don’t you want to be in dry clothes once you’re on the other side?” he asked, folding his coat.

“Oh, you haven’t done it with him _yet_ , so it means you’re planning to. Are you gonna be the one bottoming or topping—” Kyungsoo threw a shoe in Baekhyun’s face, missing his target by a few inches to the right. It hit Baekhyun’s shoulder and plopped into the tub, sinking down to the bottom.

“It almost hit me in the face, Kyungsoo! I am genuinely hurt at this,” Baekhyun rubbed his shoulder tenderly, pouting as he looked at his shoulder to check for stains.

“Why isn’t it going over to the other side?” Kyungsoo asked, staring at his shoe. “Give it a minute,” Baekhyun grumbled, adjusting his own jacket.

“Are you not going to take off your clothes?” Kyungsoo asked, taking off his sweater. “No, I want an excuse to wear a nightgown,” Baekhyun said, examining his nails while waiting for Kyungsoo to undress.

Kyungsoo shivered in the bitter cold, folding all of his clothes into small piles. “Can you put it your backpack?” he handed them to Baekhyun. Baekhyun took it and stuffed them into his bag, bulging in places now that it was full.

“What about underwear?” Baekhyun asked, pointing at Kyungsoo’s boxers. Thank the Lord he was wearing his purple pair of boxers and not the SpongeBob pair that Baekhyun once bought for him. “I’ll make do without it, I guess,” he shrugged.

“Are we gonna do this?” Baekhyun asked. Kyungsoo nodded, taking a deep breath. He toed the water carefully while Baekhyun dunked himself in, water spilling over the edge. “Is it cold?” Kyungsoo asked. In reply, Baekhyun flicked some water at him.

“’Course it is, this isn’t a spa,” Baekhyun snorted. Kyungsoo pursed his lips at Baekhyun, sitting down in the cold water. He could feel the water soaking through the thin material of his boxers and he shivered, goosebumps prickling all over his skin.

“If we ever find Chanyeol I’m gonna tell him you slept in the same bed with a Prince,” Kyungsoo muttered. “Yeah, but _you_ slept with a King,” Baekhyun waggled his eyebrows, pinching his nose and leaning backwards into the water.

Kyungsoo looked over Baekhyun’s side and noticed that his shoe had already disappeared. “Oh well,” Kyungsoo said to himself, puffing up his cheeks. He laid down beside Baekhyun, holding his hand and closed his eyes, not sure of what would happen next.

At first, the bottom of the tub was poking his shoulder blades, and the next minute it wasn’t. He felt like he was being sucked into the water, a pulling force tugging him down. He opened his eyes and saw bubbles floating past him, going in the opposite direction. There was a slight roar in his ears getting louder and louder as he sank down like a stone, the light from above getting darker and darker.

Just as his lungs were starting to strain from the lack of oxygen, Kyungsoo felt a strange sensation of vertigo. His feet touched something and he jerked, twisting a little easier than he thought he should in water. He released his hold on Baekhyun’s hand and abruptly, the world spun around him, bubbles rushing to his face until the next thing he knew he was sprawled over on something soft, the smell of grass overpowering his nose.

“Jesus,” he gasped, trying to catch his breath. The Sun was bright in the sky, shining cheerfully down on Kyungsoo, piercing his eyes. “Ugh,” he groaned, flipping over to lie down on his back.

“ _Min kjærlighet_?”

Kyungsoo froze, and turned over on his back. “Jongin?” he said, voice tight. He barely caught sight of Jongin before he was lifted up in the air by two inches and was squashed to Jongin’s very hard, and very muscular chest. “My love,” Jongin gasped, kissing Kyungsoo’s shoulder and neck frantically.

“Good to see you too,” Kyungsoo gurgled, realizing he was freezing and was practically naked against Jongin. Jongin pulled back to look at him as if he couldn’t quite believe that Kyungsoo was here in his arms (Kyungsoo wondered if being half naked was a bonus), giving him a kiss on the mouth.

Jongin kissed him like a man starved, robbing Kyungsoo’s breath from his lungs (there hadn’t been much to begin with) and holding Kyungsoo flush against his own warm body. “ _Min kjære har kommet tilbake_ ,” Jongin broke off to run his hands all over Kyungsoo’s body, making him shiver beneath his hands for all the wrong reasons. “What did you just say?” Kyungsoo breathed, caressing Jongin’s cheek and jaw line. His face was still as beautiful as ever, skin the same as before and body still toned and lean as well.

 

***“My love, you have returned,” Jongin murmured, eyes roving over Kyungsoo’s body boldly. Kyungsoo blushed, pushing away from Jongin. “I—I didn’t wanna get myself wet so…” he said, trying to explain his nudity. Jongin hummed in appreciation, staring at Kyungsoo’s boxers.

Baekhyun cleared his throat loudly, hair dripping as he squinted at the both of them. “I’m still here,” he held out his hands. Jongin growled at Baekhyun, pushing Kyungsoo behind him. “Erm,” Baekhyun lifted an eyebrow at Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo sighed, elbowing Jongin aside and walking towards Baekhyun.

“Give me my clothes,” Kyungsoo said to Baekhyun, picking up his shoe from the ground. “Why is he um, growling at me?” Baekhyun asked nervously, unzipping his backpack hurriedly. He handed Kyungsoo’s crumpled clothes to him, squeaking when Kyungsoo accidentally brushed Baekhyun’s hand and Jongin practically bared his teeth at him.

“He’s not going to rape me,” Kyungsoo said over his shoulder, exasperated.

“Are you for real, is he actually jealous?” Baekhyun laughed. Kyungsoo looked around to see if there was anywhere he could change in private. “I’m gonna just go behind that tree,” Kyungsoo said to the both of them and went off before either of them could say anything.

He kicked off his boxers quickly once he stood amongst the trees. It was wet and had started to feel a little too cold on him, and he exhaled in relief once it was off. Drying off best as he could, Kyungsoo began to wear his clothes, putting on his coat last.

“Did you throw away your underwear?” Baekhyun asked when he appeared out of the trees. He was sitting on a large boulder, shivering in the cold. “Looks like someone’s freezing out here,” Kyungsoo observed, ignoring Baekhyun’s question.

“Shut up. Get Kai to give me his clothes or something,” Baekhyun snapped, teeth chattering. Kyungsoo laughed and went up to Jongin a few feet away, who was tending to his horse. “Hi,” Kyungsoo said shyly, giving Jongin a small smile. Jongin looked a tad bit disappointed to see that Kyungsoo was all dressed now, but returned his smile anyway.

“So how long was I gone?” Kyungsoo asked, petting the horse. “A fortnight, love,” Jongin said, tickling the horse’s nostrils.

“Sounds like a long time,” Kyungsoo said lightly. “It did not feel like a fortnight,” Jongin replied softly. Kyungsoo didn’t know what to say and trailed his hands absently over the horse, wishing that he could comfort him. “I did not search for you as you told me to, _min kjærlighet_. Have you been safe?” Jongin asked.

“I was only back for a day,” Kyungsoo answered. “Why are you here?” Kyungsoo asked, realizing that the Portal was miles away from the castle. “A guard had reported to me that the Portal was glowing, and I came to see if it was you,” Jongin replied, blinking at Kyungsoo. “But I sent in my shoe first,” Kyungsoo said.

“Yes, you did, my love, and that was when I knew you would come within the hour,” Jongin laughed. Kyungsoo joined in as well, slapping Jongin’s chest lightly. Then he remembered why he was here in the first place and pointed at Jongin’s clothes. “Can Baekhyun borrow your clothes, he um. He got wet in the Portal, as you can see,” Kyungsoo turned around to glance at Baekhyun who was pointedly glaring at him.

“Took you long enough to ask,” Baekhyun snapped. Kyungsoo turned back to Jongin and gave a nervous laugh. “Um, he’s cold,” Kyungsoo said. Jongin looked like he was pondering on whether or not he should give his clothes to Baekhyun, but gave in once Kyungsoo shot him a pleading look.

“Here,” Kyungsoo gave Baekhyun Jongin’s leather vest and cotton long sleeved top. “Go change, and I’ll ask about Chanyeol,” he shooed him off into the trees.

Kyungsoo briefly wondered how he should ask about Chanyeol. He could just outright _ask_ , but he didn’t want to hurt Jongin’s feelings. He was afraid that Jongin would think that Kyungsoo was just using him. Jongin leaned against the large boulder, arms folded over his chest as he watched Kyungsoo.

“There’s um, something I need to ask you about,” Kyungsoo said, sitting on the boulder beside Jongin.

“What is it?” Jongin asked, lifting a hand to Kyungsoo’s face. His hand brushed Kyungsoo’s temple gently, pushing Kyungsoo’s fringe away.

“It’s about vampires,” Kyungsoo said. Jongin’s hand halted for a moment, his gaze unwavering as he looked into Kyungsoo’s eyes.

“Vampires?” he echoed.

“Has any vampire come through the Portal, by any chance?” Kyungsoo asked casually, reaching for Jongin’s hand to distract him from getting too serious. He was worried that Jongin wouldn’t want to talk about vampires like the servants.

“None have come through this Portal and lived, love,” Jongin said dryly, rubbing Kyungsoo’s hand with his thumb.

“Oh. Well, remember that vampire you killed the other day to save us—”

“To save you,” Jongin interrupted.

“Ah. Yes. Um, did you actually kill it, or was it just gravely injured?” Kyungsoo asked, hand warming up in Jongin’s hand. Sooner or later, it would start sweating and he needed to be done with the vampire questions before then.

“I did not have time to set its head on fire, love, as I went after you in the Portal. Has it come back for you?” Jongin asked, eyebrows furrowed together.

“That sounds violent, burning its head. I thought staking it would do,” Kyungsoo said, grimacing at the image in his head. “Severing its head and setting its limbs on fire is an alternative, my love,” Jongin smiled fondly at Kyungsoo.

“Anyway,” Kyungsoo said, blinking at Jongin’s devastating smile. “I think it killed my friend, or kidnapped him. Are you sure it didn’t come through this Portal?” Kyungsoo pressed.

“A vampire does not need to come through this Portal to return to this world, love. A skilled vampire has the ability to create their own Portals back to their own land,” Jongin told Kyungsoo.

“But we found Chanyeol’s things by the tub. That’s the reason why I came,” Kyungsoo squawked indignantly. “The vampire may have taken advantage of the magical residue surrounding the Portal to create his own. As I said, it takes a skilful vampire to create his own Portal. He must have been too injured to summon up magic of his own,” Jongin said.

“Can we still save Chanyeol?” Kyungsoo asked, alarmed that the vampire didn’t come through the Portal as he thought. That would mean it had travelled back to Europe without much hindrance, and increased the chances of Chanyeol being dead by now.

“Your friend is as good as dead, my love. The vampires devour their victims upon sight, and they show no mercy to none except their own,” he said gravely.

“Oh God,” Kyungsoo said, getting up. “But—Chanyeol can’t be dead, he’s my friend. I’ve known for years and—Oh my God,” Kyungsoo dropped to his knees. _There was no way Chanyeol could be dead,_ Kyungsoo thought. _It’s not his fucking time yet_ , Kyungsoo felt angry tears rolling down his eyes.

“Kyungsoo?” Baekhyun said from behind him. “Hey, what’s wrong?” Baekhyun asked, kneeling down beside Kyungsoo. “I think Chanyeol’s dead,” he whispered.

Baekhyun pulled his hand away from Kyungsoo as if he had just been burned. “What?” he said blankly. “That’s not true, how do you know that, Kyungsoo, he can’t be dead, he’s—He’s Chanyeol, he can’t just die on me,” Baekhyun said, voice rising hysterically.

“Baekhyun, I’m sorry,” Kyungsoo sobbed, wiping at his tears. “No, he can’t be dead, Kyungsoo,” Baekhyun said softly, shaking his head. His eyes were red with tears as he backed away from Kyungsoo. “I’m so sorry,” Kyungsoo said, reaching out to him.

“No! He’s not dead! Not until I see him with my own eyes!” Baekhyun yelled, and Kyungsoo scrambled over to hug him, stumbling clumsily to clutch Baekhyun before he broke down in pieces crying, sobbing loudly. “He’s not dead,” Baekhyun repeated, putting his head on Kyungsoo’s shoulder, body shaking as he cried.

“He’s not dead, he can’t be dead,” Baekhyun said softly as Kyungsoo rocked him gently. “I’m sorry,” Kyungsoo said, because that was all he could say. He knew there wasn’t anything that he could say now that Baekhyun’s world had been shattered. He had loved Chanyeol ever since they first met, and Kyungsoo could only guess at how Baekhyun felt now.

“I. I think I want to go home now,” Baekhyun said softly. “No. No, Baekhyun. We’re going to bring Chanyeol back, even if he’s dead,” Kyungsoo said firmly, looking over at Jongin, who gave him a sympathetic look. “Could you do that for me?” Kyungsoo asked.

“I will send some of my men to scout Europe, and we will see what we can do, love. They have no need for bodies, and as such, dispose of them easily,” Jongin replied, getting up. “For now, we should return to the castle,” Jongin said, holding out a hand to Kyungsoo.

“But how are we going to back when we have only one horse?” Kyungsoo protested, pulling Baekhyun up with him, who had calmed down some, but was still fragile in Kyungsoo’s hands.

Jongin thought about it and shrugged. “I will carry you while Baekhyun can ride the horse,” he said, dusting Kyungsoo off. “But you’ll be tired if you carry me all the way,” Kyungsoo said, suddenly wondering when was the last time he stood on a weighing scale.

“Not if I Phase,” Jongin said to him. “I will help Baekhyun up, and Phase after. My horse recognizes me and will follow,” Jongin touched Baekhyun’s shoulder gently. “Allow me to help you up,” he said, bringing him to the horse.

Jongin helped him up while Kyungsoo thought about riding a wolf. He couldn’t quite picture it, but he was fairly sure it would be like riding a horse. _Surely riding a wolf couldn’t be too different_? he thought, palms sweating abundantly now.

Once Baekhyun had mounted the horse, Jongin came back to Kyungsoo, Baekhyun watching the both of them out of the corner of his eyes curiously. “Do I have to do anything?” Kyungsoo asked.

“Look away if you want,” Jongin smirked playfully. He undid his pants and Kyungsoo gurgled, turning around to stare at Baekhyun. Baekhyun managed a weak smile in Kyungsoo’s direction, laughing a little.

Kyungsoo glanced behind him to see if Jongin was done, and he managed to catch a glimpse of Kai’s supple ass before he transformed right before his eyes, muscles expanding at an impossible rate and white fur sprouting from all over his skin. Kyungsoo picked up Jongin’s pants on the ground for him, swallowing the bile in the back of his throat.

Jongin stood two feet above Kyungsoo’s head, larger than any horse he’d ever seen. His white fur blew in the wind, fluffy and healthy looking like one of those dog food advertisements. Kyungsoo held back a laugh at that thought, and pretended to cough. Jongin’s eyes were a bright yellow, but they shone with recognition as he nosed Kyungsoo gently, motioning to his back and bending his front legs to allow Kyungsoo to climb up.

Kyungsoo hurriedly climbed up onto his back, his fur thick and warm in his hands. “I’m good,” Kyungsoo said to Jongin, settling on his back as comfortably as possible. Jongin turned around, leaping forward and running towards the forest. Jongin had given Baekhyun instructions on how to make the horse move forward, and the horse galloped after Jongin, following him from behind obediently.

Kyungsoo leaned forward against the wind, lying down flat on Jongin’s back to try and bounce along to the rhythm of Jongin’s body. He couldn’t just sit still as he thought, and had to lift himself up slightly, otherwise he would just slide off of Jongin’s back.

“This isn’t fun,” Kyungsoo wailed. Jongin snorted beneath him, running along without slowing down. Baekhyun didn’t look too happy either, gripping the rein tightly in his hands as the horse galloped away.

By the time they reached the castle, Kyungsoo felt shaken down to his bones, his body wobbling like jelly. He plopped down to the ground, lying in the grass as the horse stopped somewhere beside him, Baekhyun getting down weakly, knees trembling.

Jongin Phased back into a human easily, fur receding into him like the sea. In seconds, he was naked, and Kyungsoo shut his eyes tightly, holding up his pants in the air to give it to Jongin. “ _Min kjærlighet_ , why are you lying down on the ground like so?” he asked.

“Let me just catch my breath,” Kyungsoo held up a finger, voice much more cheery than he felt. “Suho!” Jongin called loudly, footsteps heading away from Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo opened his eyes cautiously, spotting Jongin walking away with (blessedly) pants on. Baekhyun stood over Kyungsoo, blocking his view by holding out his hand.

“Need help?” he asked. “Yeah,” Kyungsoo groaned, clasping Baekhyun’s hands and sitting up. They were just outside the castle garden, some servants rushing over to meet them. “Is that Luhan?” Kyungsoo lifted an eyebrow at Luhan running towards them in a nightgown. “Does he ever wear anything else?” Kyungsoo asked Baekhyun.

“He wore pants at the festival,” Baekhyun lifted both of his shoulders, holding out his hands.

“Baekhyun! Baekhyun, you’ve returned! Oh, and Kyungsoo, how my brother has missed you these past few days!” Luhan called out at them, waving his hand. “Lu! Chanyeol is dead,” Baekhyun yelled, and bawled, dropping to his knees. “Oh no! How did it happen?” Luhan came over, hands fluttering all over Baekhyun to comfort him.

Baekhyun told Luhan everything, throwing his arms over Luhan for a hug. Kyungsoo couldn’t help feeling like he’d been replaced by Luhan as Baekhyun’s best friend, but decided to let it go for now and maybe slap Baekhyun about it later.

Kyungsoo walked towards Jongin, who was having a serious talk with Suho. “Scout the area and return before nightfall,” Jongin was saying to him as Kyungsoo approached. “If you find a body or two, bring them back so we can identify it. It should be fresh, not a day old,” Jongin instructed.

He turned when he heard Kyungsoo coming close, his expression softening for the briefest instant. “Ah, _min kjærlighet_. You should return to Luhan’s company for now. I wish not to bore you with the finer details of an operation,” he said, touching Kyungsoo’s hand lightly. “It’s okay, Jongin, really. I’ll stick with you,” he said, holding Jongin’s hand.

Suho’s eyebrow twitched at Kyungsoo’s use of Jongin’s name, but said nothing, bowing politely towards him. “With all due respect, sir, I have scouted the treacherous lands of Europe before. I am familiar with what I must do, and will complete this task you have given me, sire,” Suho said to Jongin.

“Very well, then. Bring a few men with you,” he said, and dismissed him. Kyungsoo stood awkwardly, watching Suho walk off to the stables. “Your friend is upset, love. I believe he requires your peaceful presence more than I,” Jongin said, holding both of Kyungsoo’s hands. “He’s fine with Luhan, as you can tell. He told me that Luhan’s his new best friend, so I’d say that I’m relieved from best friend duty for now,” he replied, laughing.

“My men will bring Chanyeol’s body back if they find it, my love, so do not fret. You shall have a burial for your friend, and may your companion find peace,” he said gently. “Thank you for doing this, Jongin. For me,” Kyungsoo said shyly, eyes dropping down to look at his feet. “You really didn’t have to…” Kyungsoo said, feeling Jongin lean in for a kiss. He lifted his face up to Jongin, brushing Jongin’s lips slowly and kissing his bottom lip.

***“ _Det er ikke noe jeg ikke vil gi deg_ ,” Jongin breathed, pulling Kyungsoo closer to him. “Ooh, that sounded so sexy,” Kyungsoo said.

 

“You have to teach me your language soon,” Kyungsoo said between kisses, Jongin smiling against his mouth. “There is nothing I would not give you, my love. Nothing,” Jongin said softly, putting a hand around Kyungsoo’s waist.

“I know,” Kyungsoo said, feeling his chest constrict painfully. “I know you would,” Kyungsoo kissed Jongin feverishly, hands in his hair. Kyungsoo had missed Jongin so much even if it was just one day, and he couldn’t bear to think how horrible it must’ve been for Jongin.  “ _Min kjærlighet_ , I do not know if my heart can take it if you desert me once more,” Jongin said, lacing their fingers together.

A faint squeal from far away shook Kyungsoo to his senses. He pulled away from Jongin to look around, and realized the squeal came from Luhan and Baekhyun who were acting like a pair of five year old girls, chasing each other around the garden.

“Could we have some privacy?” Kyungsoo asked, feeling embarrassed. How could he just make out in front of the entire country with their handsome, half naked King?

“Of course, love. Come,” Jongin said, keeping a hold on Kyungsoo hand and leading him towards the castle. Again, there was a flurry of servants who suddenly had the urge to clean the windows and the floors by the garden. Kyungsoo followed after Jongin, observing the halls; they were the same as ever, if not cleaner. “I have something to show you,” Kyungsoo said to Jongin, when he felt around in his pockets.

“Oh? What is it?” Jongin asked, looking down at Kyungsoo’s hands stuffed in his coat. “It’s a surprise,” Kyungsoo winked. Jongin smiled, looking very content with having Kyungsoo by his side. “It’s something from my world, and I’m pretty sure you’ve never seen it before,” Kyungsoo explained.

“I must admit, the relics from your world fascinate me, my love. The vehicles there do not require horses… Most strange,” Jongin frowned at Kyungsoo. “How do your vehicles move, my love? By magic?”

“Erm, I’ll Google it for you and show you next time,” Kyungsoo said, unsure of how to explain the works of an automobile to someone like Jongin. Jongin lifted an eyebrow. “Pray tell, love, what is Google?” he asked, truly curious now.

“It’s a search engine on the Internet,” Kyungsoo replied. “Internet? Yet another term I am not familiar with. Is it a fishing device?”  Jongin asked. “N-No, not that kind of net,” Kyungsoo laughed. Jongin looked even more confused than before. Kyungsoo patted his hand and told him that he would try to explain later.

In Jongin’s room, Kyungsoo bounced on Jongin’s bed happily, ecstatic at being back here again. It felt like summer camp, only better. There were servants, a hot guy, and he didn’t even need to build a campfire.

Jongin shut the door with a clang, snagging another linen shirt to put on before joining Kyungsoo on the bed. The bed dipped down slightly under his weight, making Kyungsoo lean towards him ever so slightly. Jongin slung an arm around Kyungsoo, reaching for his hand with the other. “Shall I show you now?” Kyungsoo asked, eyes twinkling with glee.

Jongin nodded, a smile playing on his lips. “Okay,” Kyungsoo said, digging into his pocket, his fingers finding purchase. “It’s a…” he pulled it out slowly.

“An iPod!” Kyungsoo held it out in front of Jongin’s face, his eyes going cross eyed just from staring at it. “Eye Pod?” Jongin repeated slowly.

“Yes, an iPod. It plays music, it can surf the Internet… don’t think there’s Wi-Fi here though,” Kyungsoo laughed, turning it on. “I can give it to you, ‘cause my brother left his at home, but I don’t know how you’re gonna charge it,” Kyungsoo clicked on Music, and music started playing softly in the room.

Jongin reached for it cautiously, staring at the screen. “This is not music I am familiar with,” he said, touching the screen. “It has light, but it does not burn!” Jongin gasped, rubbing his finger on the screen.

“It won’t burn you, but you’ll dirty the screen,” Kyungsoo laughed, letting Jongin have it. “What kind of music is this?” Jongin asked, turning the blue iPod over and over, feeling its smooth surface and button. He pressed the pause button by accident, and the music stopped, making him drop the iPod.

“You pressed pause is all, Jongin,” Kyungsoo said, picking it up from the bed. “This little triangle here, is play, okay?” he pointed at it, pressing it. “But I pressed the same button, and the music stopped!” Jongin said indignantly. “Yeah, well, you see these two parallel lines?” he pointed beside the play button.

“Yes,” Jongin said cautiously. “It stands for ‘pause’. So you press once if the music is playing to pause it, and you press it again to play the music,” Kyungsoo demonstrated. When Jongin finally got it, he scrolled through Kyungsoo’s playlist, reading each title and song out diligently.

“What is this?” Jongin asked, pointing at a song. Kyungsoo peered at it to read, and he almost fainted from embarrassment. “It’s um. It’s Fergalicious by Fergie,” Kyungsoo said lamely. “It sounds interesting, love. Can I play it?” Jongin asked.

“Sure,” Kyungsoo shrugged weakly. The intro started playing, and Kyungsoo put his head in his hands in embarrassment, blushing furiously. “The manner of the music is very strange,” Jongin observed. “I suppose. Don’t um, don’t listen too closely, ‘cause this song is weird, I think Baekhyun put it in for me,” he lied, trying to change the song.

“You can see me, you can't squeeze me, I ain't easy, I ain't sleazy…” Fergie sang.

“AhahahaHAHAHA, time to change the music,” Kyungsoo snatched the iPod from Jongin, pressing the forward button to skip to the next song. The next song was blessedly a Big Bang song, and Kyungsoo gave the iPod back to Jongin, letting the music ring out in the room.

“Who are they?” Jongin pointed at the album art, a picture of the five members of Big Bang. “That’s G-Dragon, Top, Daesung, Seungri and Taeyang.”

“Why do you have images of men in your Eye Pod? Is this the true purpose of this device?” Jongin frowned. Kyungsoo slapped his forehead forlornly, regretting his life choices.

*

At dinner, the four of them dined in the private dining hall with Jongin at the head of the table, seated on a throne (Kyungsoo snorted at the throne while Baekhyun admired the precious gems embedded on the throne), Kyungsoo on his right, and Luhan on his left. Baekhyun sat beside Kyungsoo, eating very little and saying almost nothing, a few nods and ‘hmm’s here and there.

For dinner, there was potatoes, strange stir fried vegetables, an entire roasted chicken, and saffron pudding. “Did you pull out all the stops to impress me with all this food?” Kyungsoo asked, taking a small bite out of the pudding. Jongin gave him a sly smile, sipping at his wine. Luhan said a loud ‘Yes’ across him, earning a kick form Jongin under the table.

“Ow! Jerk,” Luhan flung some pudding at him from his spoon. Jongin tossed a buttered bun at him crossly, the bun hitting Luhan on the forehead and dropping into his pudding. “You ruined my pudding!” Luhan shouted, throwing a grape at Jongin. Jongin caught the grape and popped it into his mouth, quirking his eyebrows.

“Tell Kai he ruined my pudding,” Luhan said to Kyungsoo, standing up and pointing at Jongin. Kyungsoo gurgled on his pudding. He had never been caught in a siblings’ spat. “Jongin, you ruined Luhan’s pudding?” Kyungsoo said weakly. Even Baekhyun laughed beside him, covering his mouth.

“Yeah! He ruined my pudding and—Hey, you said his name,” Luhan said, realization hitting him a second too late.

Kyungsoo sank into his seat; he was afraid of that. Everyone called him Kai or sire, but no one else dared to utter his real name. “Leave him alone,” Jongin said, poking at his pudding. Luhan had a rather smug look on his face as he sat down, shifting his gaze from Jongin to Kyungsoo.

“Did you both…?” Luhan said softly.

“No!” Jongin and Kyungsoo shouted at the same time. They glanced at each other and looked away quickly, both embarrassed for each other.

Luhan looked even smugger than before, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “No, or not yet?” he asked.

“I believe Suho has arrived,” Jongin stood up, patting down his clothes and walking away, back as straight as a rod. Baekhyun gasped, and followed after Jongin, abandoning his pudding. That left Kyungsoo and Luhan at the table, one of them trying to avoid the other’s gaze while the other stared at him so hard, Kyungsoo could feel a hole on the top of his head.

“I know you like my brother,” Luhan said, picking up a spoon to feed himself some pudding. “And he obviously likes you,” he continued, trailing imaginary circles on the table. “All I ask is that you treat my brother with care. The next full moon is coming, and you don’t want him to go crazy, do you?” Luhan smiled evilly.

“Um, what?” Kyungsoo said, mystified. “Watch out for the full moon,” Luhan repeated, getting up and waving his robes everywhere, a servant girl trailing after him. He hummed a little song to himself, disappearing down a hallway mysteriously.

Kyungsoo stared at his departing figure until he could see no more, his appetite gone with Jongin’s departure. He got up, thanking the servants who were standing by to clear the table and ambled off into the direction Jongin had gone to. Kyungsoo could hear Jongin’s voice distantly and followed it, stopping every so often to listen.

He saw Baekhyun first, his brown hair standing a little more than the rest of them. Jongin was discussing something with Suho heatedly, speaking in their native tongue. Baekhyun stood apart from them, watching them closely.

One thing that struck Kyungsoo when he pulled Baekhyun aside was that he looked wide eyed as if he had just taken a cup of double shot espresso. “Baek, what’s up?” Kyungsoo asked, half whispering. “They just said that Chanyeol is alive. There’s a problem or something, though, but Kai hasn’t said anything to me about it,” Baekhyun said, a tremor to his hands.

“Are you fucking serious?!” Kyungsoo said in disbelief, pulling Baekhyun into a hug. “I c-can’t believe it, Kyungsoo, he’s really alive,” Baekhyun said, putting an arm around Kyungsoo. “Then we can save him, right?” Kyungsoo said to Baekhyun, pulling back.

“I am afraid that may be more difficult than said, my love,” Jongin said from behind Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo turned to face a concerned Jongin. “He has been taken captive, love, and the vampires are asking for a ransom.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fergalicious is still the superior song rrrrrrrrr


	5. mon amour, sweet child of mine, you're divine... (didn't anyone ever tell you it's okay to shine?)

Kyungsoo couldn’t believe his ears. “What?”

“The vampires found Suho and his men while they were on scout,” Jongin further explained. Kyungsoo spared a glance at Suho and saw that his clothes were torn at some parts, the skin beneath caked in dried blood.

“Is he alright?” Kyungsoo asked, fretful. Jongin subtly moved his body in such a way that blocked Kyungsoo’s view of Suho. “He is fine. His men, however, were not as fortunate,” Jongin said.

“They spared Suho to inform me of their capture, and they seek a ransom of a thousand gold coins,” Jongin continued, addressing both Kyungsoo and Baekhyun at this point.

“Where are we going to get that kind of money?” Baekhyun said, sitting down on a seat behind him. He looked deflated.  

“Not to worry. I will consult my men on this, and I shall inform you once we have formed a plan… The King of Europe is not to be fooled with,” Jongin muttered towards the end of his sentence.

“Go, my brother. I will see to our guests here.” Luhan had joined them without Kyungsoo noticing. He must have already heard everything; he held out a motherly arm towards the both of them.

“Come. Kai has some important business now,” he said. Baekhyun and Kyungsoo got up, Kyungsoo squeezing Jongin’s hand lightly as he passed. “I’ll see you later,” he promised. Jongin gave a brief nod in his direction.

“It is of utmost importance that Kai comes to a decision that will not put the country in danger. The European King has been looking for a reason to cause war ever since Kai stepped up to the throne,” Luhan whispered to the both of them.

“I thought you went to bed,” Kyungsoo whispered back.

“Um, I only took the other path to the same hall we were at a moment ago,” Luhan replied, lifting a questioning eyebrow at Kyungsoo. “I don’t think I’ll be used to the castle anytime soon,” Kyungsoo said. There was just too many hallways and too many corridors that looked similar to all the rest. “I will tell you more in my chambers. Come, my little ducklings,” Luhan said, hastening his footsteps.

“He did _not_ just call us his little ducklings,” Kyungsoo looked at Baekhyun. “Ducks are cute,” Baekhyun said defensively.

“It’s like I don’t even know you.”

“Says the one who’s planning to have sex with his boyfriend within the month,” Baekhyun shot back. Kyungsoo took a deep breath, his arm itching to give Baekhyun a glancing blow to the head. “We won’t be having sex anytime soon, Baek; it’s like having sex on the first date.”

“ _I_ had sex with Chanyeol on the first date,” Baekhyun put a hand to his chest. It was then that Kyungsoo realized he had been consulting the wrong person on how to handle love and other complications his entire life. “How did we even get to my nonexistent sex life?” Kyungsoo moaned, dragging his feet on purpose.

“Brighten up, you’ll be having too much sex soon, by the looks of how Kai eyes you like he’s about to eat you,” Baekhyun patted his back. “He doesn’t do that,” Kyungsoo said. Really, the way Baekhyun exaggerated things sometimes.

“I’ll record the both of you with a camera the next time you have a conversation with him, you’ll see,” Baekhyun laughed. His tone made Kyungsoo think twice about the way Jongin looked at him. Well, there’s the longing looks like he felt sad about something, and then there’s those scorching looks he threw at Kyungsoo sometimes (usually from a distance).

Other times there were just quiet, accepting gazes that made Kyungsoo feel so at home (usually when he was inches away from his face). It was those particular looks that Kyungsoo loved; he _knew_ , he just knew that Jongin accepted Kyungsoo for all that he was, even if he didn’t know him well enough yet. And for that, Kyungsoo also knew he would always make that jump into the Portal just to see Jongin look at him like that one more time. Weren’t these glances and fleeting looks just normal looks, though? Looks that two people attracted to each other would give to one another?

Luhan’s servant opened the door to his chambers, and the three of them were ushered in, with promises of tea within the minute. Kyungsoo entered the room, still unable to shake off the fact that Luhan’s room seemed much grander than Jongin’s. The shape of the room was a dead giveaway, for one.

Kyungsoo had never been in a room that had no straight walls; it was a round, egg shaped room, where Luhan’s furniture were obviously custom made to fit to the curved walls. The second fact was that everything shone like gold, clearly made for show rather than for use. It made Kyungsoo wonder if Luhan had stolen some of Jongin’s things.

“Why is your room so… over the top?” Kyungsoo asked, climbing up onto Luhan’s bed, where Luhan and Baekhyun sat. “My brother passes gifts the people have made for him to me. He lacks finer taste, in my opinion,” Luhan said with a huff.

“So you were saying something about the King of Europe?” Kyungsoo asked, making himself comfortable among multiple pillows.

“Yes, I was. Little is known of Europe, but I have something up my sleeve,” Luhan winked. At that moment, the servant girl from before came back with a tray of cups and a teapot. “Leave it on the mantle, darling, and see to it that we are not to be disturbed,” Luhan told her impatiently. “Yes, young master,” she muttered demurely. With a quick bow, she left the room, shutting the door behind her.

“They’re always looking for gossip, the servants,” Luhan said crossly, folding his legs. “Baekhyun, my little duckling, kindly pour the tea,” he said with sass. Baekhyun, to Kyungsoo’s surprise, poured the tea without objection, which made Kyungsoo wonder if Luhan had somehow hypnotized him.

“Europe?” Kyungsoo reminded, motioning for Luhan to go on. “Ah, yes! See, the reason why I know much more about Europe than my brother is Sehun,” Luhan said, his expression going soft at the mention of his name.

“I haven’t seen much of him these few years, but we have exchanged much letters over time,” Luhan said, eyes dreamy as he hugged a pillow to himself. “Is he that guy you wanted to tell me about?” Baekhyun asked, handing them their tea. Kyungsoo received his cup with a snarky thank you, sipping at his hot tea.

“Yes, my duckling. He is a vampire,” Luhan lowered his voice. “I thought werewolves and vampires hate each other,” Kyungsoo said, lifting an eyebrow.

“We were raised that way, Kyungsoo. Parents of young children scare them into thinking that vampires are vicious creatures, but I have known mercy from a vampire, and that is Sehun,” Luhan said defensively.

Baekhyun finally sat down on the bed, and waited for Luhan to continue.

“It happened when I was a mere cub, wandering the woods with Kai as we always did when we were children. Kai had convinced the men at the stables to take us out on a lovely ride, and we had run away from them, just for the laugh. I do not know how though, but we managed to get ourselves separated from each other, and I wandered deep in the woods without realizing.

Of course, there were vampire spies traipsing the woods, scouting to see if the King, my father, had sent any guards out to the woods. They had planned on kidnapping a guard to extract information, and for that reason, I bumped into Sehun, his eyes burning red hot like coal on fire. He recognized me from my robes that I was no villager, that I would’ve been a bountiful ransom if he decided to take me.

However, for reasons unknown to me, he did not strike me with an arrow as vampires usually did to prevent victims from going far. He asked me where my horses were, and led me back to border of the woods, back to the safety of the men from the stables. He had asked for my name, and he told me his. It struck me strange that he did not kill me the moment he saw me, but I was only a child then. It was only when I was older that I realized I experienced the mercy of a vampire, so alien and rare as a myth.”

“Have you told Jongin about this?” Kyungsoo asked, his tea half empty.

“Of course not! It was illegal to consort with vampires at the time, and although it is not illegal now, it is still looked down upon. I could not tell him my secret no matter how much it pained me to keep it from him,” Luhan said.

“You mean you wanted to live a little longer to see Sehun once more,” Kyungsoo deadpanned, turning Luhan’s face red.

“Granted, I have not seen him since that day, but we have spoken through letters, as I have said. He tells me secrets, secrets of the European kingdom that no werewolf knows,” he said, taking a sip from his cup.

“So no one knows about you and Sehun?” Baekhyun asked.

“Only you both, and my trusted friends who sends the letters for me,” Luhan cheerfully replied.

“Then tell us more about Europe. Is it bad like how Jongin says it is?” Kyungsoo asked.

Luhan thought carefully, giving care to his reply. “It is ruled by a dictator,” he started cautiously. “And he has ruled for three thousand years already. His people tire of him, but they cannot overthrow him, because he is of royal blood, and the vampires have very strict rules about bloodlines. It is he who led the Uproar that happened so many years ago, and for that he was chosen to be crowned the King of Europe. It is a heavy crown he bears, but he still lives on, his grip on Europe still as strong as ever.”

“Is it normal to rule for three thousand years? It sounds pretty long to me,” Baekhyun said.

“He is the ruler for two reasons. One reason is because he could lead both vampires and rogue werewolves in the Uproar. The other is that he has found his mate, but his mate is not a female,” Luhan gave a sly smile.

“Oh my God, the European King is gay,” Baekhyun gasped. Luhan shushed him at once, pushing him down. “It is not a well known fact, and many, including my brother, think this is a rumour. I have confirmation from Sehun that it is not just a rumour, it is as true as you and I exist in this room. Because his mate cannot give him an heir, he has no one to trust, and therefore he bears the crown until he chooses to adopt,” Luhan whispered.

“And adoption isn’t easy because he has to be worthy, am I right?” Kyungsoo asked. Luhan nodded. “Not anyone can rule such a terrible kingdom, you know. Even Sehun considers his own country a difficult place to live in,” he added.

“What about the war part? Why’s the King such a nitpicky guy?” asked Kyungsoo. “Europe, in essence, is a chaotic country. Family names rise and fall as fast as the sun rises and sets in a day. The King wants to rid the world of wolves, because he thinks he’s the best,” Luhan said matter of factly. “It’s just plain ego on the King’s part, no politics involved.”

“Wait, if you can contact Sehun, then can’t you ask him about Chanyeol?” Baekhyun asked.

“I have already considered this. I can write to him to know more about Chanyeol’s condition, but from what I see, my brother will choose to leave within a day or so, and there will not be enough time for Sehun to reply,” Luhan said, dampening Baekhyun’s spirits.

“So there’s not enough time for us to know more about Chanyeol’s condition,” Kyungsoo said, thinking about it. Luhan shook his head. “Well, can I see what I can do with this information and maybe tell Jongin about it, if it ever becomes useful?”

“Don’t ever mention me and Sehun is all,” Luhan warned him. “Okay. I’ll go back to my room now, Jongin’s probably back—”

“Look at the little duckling waddling back to his own little duckling,” Baekhyun cooed at Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo squinted his eyes and threw a pillow at him. “Actually, I believe Kai is a duck now,” Luhan said, just before a pillow flew at him as well.

“I am _not_ a duckling and Kai is _not_ a duck!” Kyungsoo positively fumed, hands on his hips. “Careful, the duck has needs,” Luhan teased.

Shortly after, Kyungsoo left only when he had beaten Luhan and Baekhyun with pillows to within an inch of their lives. The way they made jabs at him rubbed him the wrong way in all the wrong places; he was never going to sleep with Jongin the way they thought he would. Jongin was just too much of everything: too handsome, too sexy, too… sexually frustrating somehow, and Kyungsoo was just plain like white bread. Jongin was like peanut butter; there was no way no one could _not_ like him.

Kyungsoo travelled back to Jongin’s room alone, the route vaguely familiar now. He got lost in his thoughts, building castles in the air about how Jongin was such a lovely sweetheart and how he held Kyungsoo’s hand so delicately… A warm rush of blood flooded his cheeks as he realized that yes; he was having disgusting, gooey thoughts of Jongin.

 _I’m officially repulsed by myself_ , Kyungsoo thought, frowning to dispel further thoughts of Jongin’s near perfect character.

“ _Min kjærlighet_.” Kyungsoo stopped in his tracks. _This is it_ , he thought.  He must be going mad, hearing Jongin’s smooth voice in his head.

He was somewhat appeased, however to see Jongin standing by a wall on his left, arms folded. A smirk played on his lush lips, some hair in his eyes. “It is such a beautiful night tonight, why is there a frown upon your lips?” Jongin asked, leaning off the wall and coming towards Kyungsoo.

“I-It’s nothing, I was just… worried about something,” he said, feeling his blush darkening his cheeks. “I do not think I have told you enough how happy I am to have you here with me again,” Jongin said, coming close and backing Kyungsoo up against the wall behind him.

“It is as if the sun has been returned to me, and I need not live at the mercy of moonbeams anymore,” he whispered, giving Kyungsoo a chaste kiss on the lips. “Don’t be so dramatic, I’m sure it wasn’t that bad,” Kyungsoo murmured, wrapping his arms around Jongin’s broad shoulders.

“I have no need for pretences, love, every word is true as how I feel for you,” he replied, pulling Kyungsoo close to him.

“Isn’t it too early for the L word?” Kyungsoo breathed heavily, dropping his gaze.

“It is better to be early than late, my father used to say,” Jongin replied, smiling slightly. “And with no offense meant, love, but I believe you require a bath,” he said, sniffing down Kyungsoo’s chest.

He pushed away from Jongin instinctively, immediately self-conscious. “It’s been a long day, after all,” Kyungsoo said, shifting his weight from foot to foot. Jongin smiled affectionately at him, reaching for his hand to hold. “Come, Kyungsoo. The hour grows late, and I shall ask the maids to draw a bath for you.”

“I thought there weren’t any bathrooms in here,” Kyungsoo said, holding Jongin’s hand trustingly and swinging their hands together as they walked slowly to the ‘baths’, as Jongin called it. “It is in a different part of the castle,” Jongin answered, swinging both of his arms.

“Oh. Well, that makes sense. I don’t have a bathroom in my room either but since it’s a castle…” Kyungsoo babbled. He cut himself short when he realized that he probably sounded like an idiot. Jongin just smiled quietly by his side, listening to his ramblings.

“I take it that you’ll stay with me this night?” Jongin asked him, voice tight as if he was bracing himself to ask the question. “Mmm. I think I’ll only be gone a few hours back in my own world, so maybe I’ll stick around here for a day or two,” Kyungsoo said. Then he frowned, thinking about how he was gone for two weeks when he was in his world for only a day.

“On second thought, I wouldn’t mind staying for a week. I’m sure that’s more than enough time to save Chanyeol. Is it?” Kyungsoo asked, just to be sure.

“It takes three days to travel to Europe on horseback, love. If the negotiation takes only a few hours, then we can return to Lycanfort with your friend by the beginning of next week.”

“Oh. So we’re going to Europe?” Kyungsoo said hopefully. It would definitely be fun to go on a road trip with Jongin, even if he had to ride a damned horse again. There would be so much to see, and so much to do… obviously not Jongin, though. Oh no, there wouldn’t be anyone doing anyone except Chanyeol and Baekhyun once Chanyeol was rescued, that Kyungsoo knew for sure.

“ _I_ will be going to Europe with my men, love. It is not safe for you,” Jongin corrected Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo stopped walking.

“Why the hell not? What if they give you the wrong prisoner? You don’t know what Chanyeol looks like! And if you don’t bring us along, I swear, I’ll never let you kiss me again,” Kyungsoo threatened. “Your safety comes first. The King of Europe is the most dangerous of his kind, my love, and if he finds out…” Jongin trailed off, biting his tongue.

“Find out about what?” Kyungsoo asked. Abruptly, Jongin looked internally conflicted, his gaze wavering from Kyungsoo’s eyes. It made Kyungsoo pissed off, anger boiling up from inside of him.

“Ugh, I hate it whenever I come here! There’s always something Luhan and Baekhyun aren’t telling me, and now you too?!” Kyungsoo snatched his hand out of Jongin’s grasp, stalking off into another direction.

“Kyungsoo, wait—”

“I’ll see you in bed,” Kyungsoo turned to say over his shoulder. Jongin looked forlorn behind him, but he chose not to follow Kyungsoo, staying behind.

A part of Kyungsoo was laughing at how ridiculous he was being, and yet another chose to ignore the more reasonable side of him. It was just annoying how everyone seemed to know something he didn’t, like Baekhyun had once stuck a piece of paper that said ‘You would totally tap this’ on his back in high school without him knowing, and everyone giggled every time he came near them for the entire day. Kyungsoo could only hope that whatever they were hiding from Kyungsoo wasn’t something big, like maybe… Maybe Jongin didn’t like him after all.

Maybe he didn’t want Kyungsoo to come along because he didn’t really like him. Maybe everything was just one big prank, and one day it would just explode in his face, and everyone would be laughing at him while he stood, shell shocked. It hurt him a little to think that maybe Jongin didn’t have any feelings for him after all. Kyungsoo knew that he liked Jongin, enough that it hurt him if Jongin never reciprocated those feelings. _Maybe I’m just a fling_ , Kyungsoo thought, flinching when he noticed that he’d reached Jongin’s room without realizing. 

He turned to knock on Eunyoung’s door once he realized that he didn’t know where the bathroom was. Kyungsoo felt stupid and ridiculous to explain his predicament to Eunyoung when she opened the door, but she didn’t press for details, only nodding when he said that he didn’t really feel like talking about it.

“I saw you and the Master in the gardens today,” she said, lifting an eyebrow at him. “Um, yeah, we were uh, at the gardens, yes,” Kyungsoo mumbled.

“Are you staying for the long term now, sire?” Eunyoung asked, a skip in her footsteps. “I doubt it. I think we just had our first fight, although, admittedly, it’s pretty much my fault. I shouldn’t have yelled, but I did it and now I can’t take it back so…”

“Everybody argues somehow, Kyungsoo. It is the only way to know that there are some things, you both do not agree upon, and it is up to one of you to apologize first,” she said wisely.

“I don’t think I’ve ever apologized for anything, ever,” Kyungsoo said when he thought about it. It was mostly because he didn’t have much friends, and aside from the occasional fight with Baekhyun, they never needed an apology between them. Baekhyun usually allowed everything slide once he cooled down.

“Perhaps this will be your first then,” Eunyoung said, her tone without judgement.

They turned a corner, the area secluded from the rest of the castle. “This is the Master’s private bath. The public baths are open at this hour, but I sense that the Master would not allow his Pureblood to bathe in public,” Eunyoung said, a cheeky smile upon her lips. She pushed open a door, and Kyungsoo half expected a bathroom to be there, but instead there was a winding staircase, descending to God knows where.

The staircase was built outside the castle, practically stuck to the side of the castle. “Are we somewhere near Luhan’s room?” Kyungsoo asked, the wind blowing as they climbed down. “This is the other side of the tower, yes. The young master’s chambers faces the town as it is the front of the castle. This private staircase leads to lower ground, where the hot spring is,” Eunyoung replied him, voice loud as the wind rivalled her voice with its howl.

“Am I going to bathe in the cold wind?” Kyungsoo whined. Eunyoung laughed, “There is a cave of sorts built around the hot spring, sire, do not worry about the wind.”   _Hot spring, huh?_ Kyungsoo repeated to himself. _But of course_ , he thought. What else would you expect from a King?

They reached the bottom of the staircase after much clambering, Kyungsoo’s knees trembling from walking so many steps. They were at the back of the castle now, where Kyungsoo could see lots and lots of trees in the sprawling distance, going as far as the eye could see. There was a small huddle of twinkly lights towards the east, marking a town or a village, but otherwise, it was a smooth view of the forest, mountains coming into view whenever the clouds lifted up a bit.

“Here is the Master’s private bath,” Eunyoung said, admiring the view with Kyungsoo for a moment before holding out a hand behind him like a showgirl. He reluctantly turned away from the view, and was amazed right away when he looked at the hot spring.

It was dim because it was too windy to light candles, but Kyungsoo could still see the hot spring anyway. He had never seen a hot spring before, and the sheer size of it scared him a bit; it was about ten foot across, with rocks piled up on the other side to block the chilly wind. There was quite a bit of a roof as well, and Kyungsoo didn’t know how they managed to make rocks curve up like that, but it certainly prevented anyone from up above in the castle from looking down at the hot spring.

A small cabinet filled with towels and soap stood by the side, the spring bubbling away like a pot of water. “Are you telling me that Jongin uses this every day?” Kyungsoo asked Eunyoung in disbelief. “There is a smaller bath within the castle, but yes, the Master returns to the hot spring every week,” Eunyoung replied him.

She entered the hot spring cavern, reaching for a little bell Kyungsoo hadn’t noticed hanging down from one of the rough rocks. “Ring this bell here when you are ready to return, sire, and someone will come to your aid at once, should you need any,” Eunyoung explained, giving it a little tinkle.

“So I can spend all night here?” Kyungsoo asked, excited. Why hadn’t Luhan or Baekhyun mentioned this to him? “This is exclusively for the Master’s use only, unless he chooses to bring a visitor. I should think you could spend quite some time in here to relax in private,” she said. Kyungsoo entered the cavern, tentatively; his body out of the wind and warm once he approached the hot spring.

“Wow. I think I’ll jump in now,” Kyungsoo laughed, eagerly taking off his coat and putting it aside. “Very well then, sire. Have a nice bath,” she smiled, going back up the stairs. Kyungsoo barely noticed her leaving; he was too caught up in undressing quickly to notice.

The humid air was delicious on his bare skin as he went nude, putting his clothes away neatly. Kyungsoo dipped his feet first, testing the heat. It was hot, hot enough to warm him up and give him lovely shivers down his back, but not too hot. He slid into the hot spring to get out of the cold, floating happily in the hot spring.

Kyungsoo didn’t feel like getting out to get the soap even though he knew he should and instead frolicked around in the spring, dipping his head in and letting the hot water soothe his legs and back. For a while, it was nice and warm, but then his thoughts somehow wound its way back to Jongin, which made him feel bad about using his hot spring when he’d just given him such a bitchy fit.

He wondered if he would be welcome to still sleep in the same bed when he’d just been such a terrible human being to Jongin. _Would he still accept me? Or would he think I’m not what he thought I was before I did that?_

Caught up in his morose thoughts, he sat down in the spring, a line of smooth rock beneath the water all around the edge. Kyungsoo was already starting to regret having ever said anything to Jongin in that moment. He wanted to put those words back where his mouth was from, wanted to go back in time and shake himself by the shoulders. Whatever Luhan and Baekhyun must be keeping from him couldn’t possibly be the same thing Jongin was saying, now that he thought about it. It was a ridiculous notion, and Kyungsoo was starting to feel like he was losing his mind.   

 _Losing my mind over a boy_ , Kyungsoo laughed to himself. Now who would’ve thought Do Kyungsoo would ever be head over heels for a boy?

Kyungsoo was so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn’t hear a pair of footsteps softly heading his way, articles of clothing dropping to the ground one at a time. It was only when he felt ripples in the water that he spun his head around, chortling at a naked Jongin joining him in the hot spring. “You scared me!” he said, putting a hand to his chest to calm his heartbeat. “I thought you were some kind of murderer,” Kyungsoo muttered, getting over his scare with a blush _. Thank God it’s dark in here_ , he thought.

“Forgive me,” Jongin said, entering the water easily, dipping his head into the water once to wet his hair. He sat near Kyungsoo, further than where he usually would sit if he was next to Kyungsoo. He stared at Kyungsoo intently, expression unreadable, if not wary.

“Are you upset with me, _min kjærlighet_?” he asked softly, his voice barely audible above the sound of water bubbling and the wind outside.

“No,” Kyungsoo mumbled, poking at the bubbles on the surface of the water. “I was weird a while ago. I’m sorry,” he said, looking up at Jongin.

Jongin looked a little sad, his eyes lowered to the water. Kyungsoo thought he looked great, despite everything. He looked haunting in the dark, shadows beneath the hollows of his eyes like a creature of the night. _Of course, he_ is _a werewolf_ , Kyungsoo reminded himself. How the supernatural looked so _different_ to the likes of Kyungsoo.

“There is nothing to be sorry about, my love. It is your friend that we will save, and if you want to come with us I have no right to say no,” Jongin said. Kyungsoo bit his lip thoughtfully.

“Wouldn’t it be a hassle to bring me and Baekhyun though?”

“I have no place to be selfish when I’m with you,” Jongin said earnestly.

“Are you saying that you wouldn’t mind if we came along?” Kyungsoo asked hopefully. Jongin shook his head. “I would be more than happy to accommodate you. It was obdurate of me to think only of my needs and not your own,” Jongin said, sounding disappointed with himself. Kyungsoo decided to ignore how Jongin conveniently forgot to input Baekhyun into his sentence.

“I don’t think I understand what you just said, but I like that you’re putting me first,” Kyungsoo smiled, moving closer to Jongin. Jongin looked uncomfortable to be close, but Kyungsoo assumed it was usually because Kyungsoo didn’t like nudity.

“ _Min kjærlighet_ , I thought you—” Kyungsoo shut him up by kissing Jongin, climbing over him. “I did promise you a kiss if you said you’d bring me along,” Kyungsoo broke off to whisper in Jongin’s ear. Jongin placed his arm around Kyungsoo’s waist, smiling as he kissed Kyungsoo back, tongue slipping into Kyungsoo’s mouth. Kyungsoo sat on Jongin’s thighs, forgetting momentarily where and who he was, lost in the sensation of Jongin’s kisses on his mouth.

Jongin’s hands ran all over Kyungsoo’s body, tingling Kyungsoo in places. His hands were at his hips, going down his back and back up to his neck, Kyungsoo moaning Jongin’s name repeatedly all the while.

 “I think I’m a fool for you, Jongin,” Kyungsoo breathed, putting his arms around Jongin’s neck. “I am the fool for falling in love with a Pureblood like you,” Jongin answered, his skin slick beneath Kyungsoo’s touch. “There are none like us, _min kjærlighet_ ,” Jongin said, kissing Kyungsoo deeply, taking Kyungsoo’s breath away.

“If you keep talking like that, then obviously I’ll have to stay a little longer this time,” Kyungsoo smiled, kissing the side of his mouth. “What makes you think you’re in love with me?” Kyungsoo asked, nibbling on Jongin’s earlobe. His skin was salty and wet as he bit down gently, moving lower to suck on his neck. Jongin groaned, fingers digging into Kyungsoo’s side.

***“ _Jeg føler tapt og ødelagt uten deg_ , _min kjærlighet._ I feel lost and broken without you by my side,” Jongin gasped, his voice echoing in the cavern. Jongin held Kyungsoo to him tightly, as if he was afraid that Kyungsoo was just a dream he had made up, and if he didn’t touch Kyungsoo enough, Kyungsoo would disappear like mist in the early morning.

“When I was up there, in my own world, I couldn’t get my mind off you,” Kyungsoo whispered, his hand fisted in Jongin’s dark hair. Jongin gave him a questioning look, toying with Kyungsoo’s nipple with his lithe fingers. “I wondered if it was the same for you,” Kyungsoo said, arching into Jongin’s touch with a stifled moan. He wanted Jongin’s hands all over him, especially down south but he didn’t how to say it, he couldn’t find the words to express his wanton feelings for Jongin.

“It was anguish for me, my love,” Jongin bit out, admiring the line of Kyungsoo’s neck, curves and bumps leading down to his collarbones and arms.

“Am I your only one, Jongin?” Kyungsoo asked, feeling desperate for Jongin’s undivided attention. _I_ want _to be the only one for him_ , Kyungsoo thought, leaning to kiss Jongin again, his lips pink and soft, so very inviting and seductive, the only aphrodisiac Kyungsoo ever needed.

“It has always been you, my love. Always,” Jongin said hoarsely, his hand dipping into the water and touching Kyungsoo’s erect cock, its head red and aching to be touched. Kyungsoo whimpered, pressing his palms into Jongin’s toned arms, dropping his head forward, knocking on Jongin’s forehead.

“Touch me,” Kyungsoo said in a low voice, gaze pleading. Jongin wrapped a firm hand around Kyungsoo’s length, pumping it slowly. Kyungsoo tried to slow his breathing, the sensation of Jongin’s hand much more different than touching himself. It seemed to be better than imagination too, because there was Jongin’s other hand caressing his face, putting a little bit of his finger in Kyungsoo’s mouth. Jongin’s mouth popped open in silent pleasure when Kyungsoo bit down on his finger, almost drawing blood.

***“ _Du er virkelig en skjønnhet_ , my love,” he heard Jongin say. Kyungsoo’s eyes were a bit bleary with tears, his body sweating from the heat of the hot spring and from Jongin’s warm touch. The heat sweltered impossibly like a wave when Jongin gave an experimental squeeze on Kyungsoo’s cock, his eyes slitting shut in bliss.

Jongin rubbed a thumb over Kyungsoo’s tip relentlessly, tormenting Kyungsoo with sharp slices of pleasure shooting through his body like knives. There was pleasure, so much of it yet there was an underlying sensation of pain that Kyungsoo wanted more of, wanted Jongin to be the one to ease his lust.

“My love, my heart is for you,” Jongin said shakily, watching Kyungsoo squirming about, the water rippling away from them. He drew a soothing hand over Kyungsoo’s back, coaxing him to come in his hands.  

Kyungsoo felt drowsy as if cast under Jongin’s spell, his touch bringing him to climax within minutes. “Ah— Jongin, I love you,” Kyungsoo bit out harshly, coming in surges from Jongin’s voice and pretty words. It was impulsive, and he knew he was contradicting himself by saying the L word himself, but he was returned with a kiss and a whispered “I love you more,” in his ear.

*

In bed, Kyungsoo played Video Games on his iPod for Jongin, asking him to listen to the words carefully. They were tucked in together, legs tangled with their hands intertwined and a blanket over them (Jongin was naked under the covers, but Kyungsoo decided not to linger on that thought). The song explicitly reminded him of that one time when Baekhyun was drunk and he wanted to say something to Kyungsoo, but he shooed the memory away, not wanting to sour his good mood.

_They say that the world was built for two, only worth living if somebody is loving you…_

“I think it’s what I feel about you, even if we’ve known each other for less than a week,” Kyungsoo smiled, playing with Jongin’s fingers. He smiled at Kyungsoo tiredly, half of his face smooshed into the pillow. The iPod sat snugly between them, the volume adjusted to allow Lana’s voice to float through the room, giving Kyungsoo romantic vibes about Jongin.

 “What’s going to happen on the day?” Kyungsoo asked softly, leaning closer to Jongin. He had decided to go to Europe the day after tomorrow to prep the soldiers at the country’s main border, in case something went wrong and the vampires wanted war.

“My men and I have decided to bring the ransom money, should the King refuse to bargain with us. He knows we have no leverage, and so he may not be willing to give Chanyeol up without a fight.”

“I’m sure you’ll think of something, right?” Kyungsoo asked, gripping Jongin’s hand. He admired the way their skin tones were so different, the way his own skin seemed like white porcelain when Jongin’s skin told him that Jongin spent time under the sun, his tan consistent throughout his entire body.

“I will try my best for you,” Jongin promised, yawning and closing his eyes. Kyungsoo snuggled against Jongin after a while, listening to the sound of him breathing. It calmed Kyungsoo, his chest rising and falling with each breath.

*

In the morning, Kyungsoo and Jongin joined Baekhyun and Luhan at the dining table for breakfast, Jongin explaining animatedly about their plans to travel to Europe by nightfall.

“We will start out at night. The vampires sleep during the day, but at night they spy on our lands, using their magic to create temporary Portals. My men proposed to travel during the night for safety reasons,” Jongin said, quirking an eyebrow.

“You mean there’ll be vampires spying on us all the way?” Kyungsoo asked, sipping at his tea.

“Yes, my love. They may hide in the trees, but I feel them moving, their blood red eyes unblinking as they watch us, returning at dawn with reports to the King,” Jongin answered him, nodding solemnly. Meanwhile, Luhan was giving them weird looks again, barely bothered with whatever Jongin was saying.

“I was thinking about some things last night, Kai, and it occurred to me that you haven’t actually used your private bath in a while,” Luhan said innocently, blinking at him. Kyungsoo looked down at his pumpkin soup, the orange lumps floating in it suddenly extremely fascinating. “It’s a nice soup,” Kyungsoo muttered, glancing at Baekhyun. Baekhyun side eyed him, sipping his tea. _He probably knows I’m acting weird_ , Kyungsoo thought, stirring his soup mindlessly.

“A-ah, yes, that’s true, brother,” Jongin replied, blushing.

“Imagine my chagrin, dear brother, when I was looking out of my window last night and I hear some people, maybe a pair of intruders, I think, frolicking in your private bath!” Luhan said, kicking back his legs and leaning into his seat.

“We must find these intruders, no? Surely they are mocking you, Kai,” Luhan went on. Kyungsoo coughed, clearing his throat a bit. “Um, I was there last night,” Kyungsoo said, staring into his soup.

“OH REALLY?” Luhan said loudly. “DID YOU SEE THE INTRUDERS, MY LITTLE DUCKLING?”

“N-no, it was just um. It was just me there,” Kyungsoo said meekly, pretending to take a sip of his soup. “And maybe Jongin joined after a while,” he muttered, hoping nobody would hear.

“MY, MY, DUCKLING, OH DEAR MY,” Luhan said at the top of his lungs. “AND WHAT WERE YOU DOING WITH MY BROTHER, MAY I ASK?”

Kyungsoo thought it blunt to say that Jongin gave him a handjob last night, and decided to just smile awkwardly at Luhan, pleading with his eyes to just stop with the fucking interrogation before he died of embarrassment.

“They totally fucked,” Baekhyun said with a laugh, looking at the both of them. Luhan got up, high fiving him over the table. “Yes! They did it,” Luhan said, putting a fist in the air.

“You owe me money,” Luhan pointed at Baekhyun, squinting slightly while he sat back down. “You bet money on my sex life?” Kyungsoo said, turning to Baekhyun.

“Hey, you admit you have one! And no, of course not! I would never,” Baekhyun said, digging into his pocket for something.

He pulled out his wallet, riffling through the notes and receipts. “Oh no, Kyungsoo, I would never, ever,” he said, pulling out a fifty dollar note and getting up, holding it towards Luhan. “I would never bet money on you. What kind of friend would I be if I ever did that?” Luhan took the note, staring at it curiously before tucking it into his robes. “Really, I would never do that,” Baekhyun shook his head.

Kyungsoo just shook his head. “And for the record, we didn’t have sex,” Kyungsoo said, putting his spoon down. “I don’t get how you both managed to think like that,” he said feigning innocence. Jongin just looked down while chewing on his bun, pretending to read some the papers his men had given to him a while ago.

“Oh, it’s okay to just admit it, Kyungsoo, we would just love to redo the festival all over again in celebration—” Luhan threw a bun at Baekhyun’s mouth, widening his eyes in warning. “In celebration of your sex life,” Baekhyun continued without a hitch, picking up the bun and throwing it back at Luhan.

“Well, I certainly have to be getting along now to prepare for the trip,” Jongin said, getting up from his seat. “I’ll be at the stables or with my men, my love. Take care,” Jongin said, leaning down to kiss Kyungsoo on the cheek and he went off, papers in hand.

“Thanks for making things extra awkward for us,” Kyungsoo said, dripping with sarcasm. “Drop that sass, little duckling, you’ll be with us until we go off on the trip,” Luhan said, biting into the bun delicately. “And bring me something nice for lunch, will you? All this soup will make me keel over by the time we leave,” Luhan said over his shoulder to his personal servant. She gave her affirmation, nodding politely.

“Every time I spend time with the both of you, we always end up gossiping,” Kyungsoo said. “You love it,” Baekhyun replied, waving him away.  They soon went out to the gardens for a walk to enjoy the fresh air, apparently.

“I feel pretty jittery about this trip. Is Chanyeol gonna be okay when we get there? I mean, are we even going to get there on time to save him?” Baekhyun said, shivering inwardly. “There’s not much we can do though, for now. At least we have Jongin to help us,” Kyungsoo said, linking arms with Baekhyun.

“Yeah, I’m happy he’s helping but it still gets me. Luhan says the more time we take up making Yifan wait, the less likely he’ll want to negotiate,” Baekhyun said, touching his ring for a moment.

“Who’s Yifan?” Kyungsoo frowned. “Oh, didn’t we tell you? It’s the King’s name,” Baekhyun quipped. Kyungsoo nodded in comprehension. “And his … mate, partner, whatever? Does he have a name?”

“I think his name is Tao, or something like that. Seems like Tao was a birthday present from one of the lower class vampires, and he’s like, a long lost aristocrat’s son of some sort,” Baekhyun said.

“But I think it’s another way of saying that he was a child born out of wedlock, since his family kind of… gave him up to the European government. It’s one of those rumours Luhan told me last night,” Baekhyun said with a sympathetic shrug. Kyungsoo had never met Tao but he was starting to feel sorry for the guy, to be thrown out of your family because you weren’t worthy enough in their eyes. “At least he’s with someone he loves now,” Kyungsoo said, stretching his arms languidly.

“Yeah, well. Did you know that vampires mate for life?” Baekhyun asked, skipping a few steps forward and walking backwards. Kyungsoo felt a pang of déjà vu from the way they were walking, that very first night he came here. _Feels like a long time ago_ , Kyungsoo thought to himself. _I feel like a new person with Jongin._

“No, I didn’t know that. So no matter how cruel they say vampires are, wouldn’t that mean they actually _are_ capable of feelings?” Kyungsoo said. Baekhyun made a face, trying to explain further to Kyungsoo.   
“See, it’s not really about feelings, it’s more like… like you’re chosen, y’know? Luhan explained it to me, and from what he told me, it’s way deeper than just feelings. It’s more like a commitment,” Baekhyun said, gesturing eloquently with his hands.

“Commitment? You mean like marriage?” Kyungsoo laughed.

“Kind of, yeah,” Baekhyun said, scratching his head. Kyungsoo shivered, rubbing his hands together. “Bet you wish you had your own duck to warm you,” Baekhyun said, noticing Kyungsoo’s behaviour. “Oh my God, he’s not a fucking duck—”

“Why do you only swear when you’re with us, it’s so rude,” Baekhyun pouted. Kyungsoo rolled his eyes. “As if you’ve never held back a swear word here and there whenever you’re with Chanyeol,” he retorted. “At least Chanyeol doesn’t have a warped perception of me,” Baekhyun replied.

“You think Jongin has a warped perception of _me_?”

“Well, everyone who meets has a great first impression of you. They always say, ‘Oh, your friend Kyungsoo’s really cute’ and ‘Kyungsoo’s so quiet’ but I know better,” Baekhyun said. “You’re evil personified,” Baekhyun patted Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo swiped a hand at Baekhyun’s face, aiming to slap Baekhyun.

“See?! You always attack me like an evil spirit,” Baekhyun complained, dodging Kyungsoo’s hand. “That’s ‘cause you deserve a beating, and ooh, I’ll show you evil spirit!” Kyungsoo jumped on Baekhyun’s back, trying to weigh him down to the ground.

“My ducklings, you are causing a ruckus in my garden, and I will not stand for it,” Luhan sighed, turning around to look at the both of them, Kyungsoo’s hand in Baekhyun’s mouth. “Baby duckling, please get off of your duckling brother,” Luhan said calmly.

“He’s a piece of crap and—” Kyungsoo stopped talking when Luhan came very close to him, giving him a sniff behind his neck. “You haven’t slept with Kai,” Luhan lifted an eyebrow at him, stepping away.

“Can we not harp on this subject, seriously,” Kyungsoo said crossly. “Oh no, my duckling, I wasn’t asking you, I was implying it. There’s no scent on your neck, so I’d say that you both just had a very fun time last night, now didn’t you?” Luhan scrunched up his nose.

“You mean you can _smell_ Jongin on me?” Kyungsoo said hesitantly, honestly starting to doubt Luhan’s sanity. Luhan merely shrugged. “Well, not really. There’s not much of his scent to smell in the first place,” Luhan said, continuing on his walk. Kyungsoo didn’t want to let Luhan go so easily this time, and moved to grab his arm. “Luhan, what is it that you and Baekhyun aren’t telling me?” he asked slowly, stopping Luhan and Baekhyun from walking any further.

“I’m tired of hearing the both of you dropping me hints everywhere without actually telling what the joke is about, so can we just be out with it and I can live my life in peace?” Kyungsoo said, exasperated with the pair of them.

“We had no idea our little secret gave you such… worries,” Luhan twirled a part of his robe, swinging it about. “Well, since you asked so nicely, I’ll tell you now, my fair duckling,” Luhan chucked Kyungsoo under the chin gently.

“You’re telling him?” Baekhyun said, surprised.

“Yeah, you’re actually telling me this with no strings attached?” Kyungsoo asked, feeling like he was about to be conned. Luhan scoffed at them. “Of course I’ll tell you, my little duckling! You are…” Kyungsoo took a deep breath, bracing himself for it.

“…Kai’s first love!” Luhan held out his arms like Ta-da!

Kyungsoo immediately felt deflated like a popped balloon. “That’s it?” he deadpanned.

“What ever do you mean, ‘that’s it’? It is an honour to be a part of the royal family, to consort with the King and lay in the same bed as he who—”

“Okay, I think I got it,” Kyungsoo snapped. Luhan beamed at him, spinning his robes. “How do you feel about it?” he asked. Baekhyun stood obtusely, wiggling his eyebrows to goad Luhan on.

“I don’t think it’s a big deal? I mean, Jongin’s my first— He’s my first too,” Kyungsoo stuttered. It felt weird to call Jongin his ‘first love’. The words that came to him so easily last night at the hot spring (Kyungsoo blushed madly at the memory) suddenly caught at his throat now; did he really, truly love Jongin?

Baekhyun and Luhan however, didn’t seem to notice. “It just didn’t seem right to pressure you into being perfect for my brother. But since you both get along so nicely, it’s easier to tell you now, hmm?” Luhan laughed. Kyungsoo nodded, smiling slightly. He walked on ahead, his train of thought working at full speed. Was he ready emotionally to say those three words to Jongin without fear (and the influence of Jongin’s handjob)?

Luhan turned around to frown at Baekhyun, sighing silently in relief dramatically, and wiping his forehead. Baekhyun patted his chest as if he had just recovered from a shock, and slapped Luhan’s arm as well, nodding knowingly. “He doesn’t know anything yet,” Luhan mouthed, starting to walk again. Baekhyun gave a wink, and pointed at Kyungsoo with two fingers, indicating that he would watch out for Kyungsoo.

Kyungsoo, oblivious to what just occurred behind his back, was still wondering if his feelings for Jongin were as legitimate as he thought. It was easy to yes, he did like him a lot, maybe even easy to admit that he did love him just a tiny bit. But will it last?

 _Would I still think of him the same way if I were to go back to my world and find someone new?_ Kyungsoo pondered, chewing his lip nervously. He caught sight of Jongin’s back in one of the windows by the garden, his men crowded around him to listen to his speech or whatever. _Is this truly happiness?_

Would there be anyone else out there for him? Maybe Jongin was God’s way of saying, ‘That’s all you’re gonna get ,son.’

 _Does he love me?_ His subconscious whispered, sliding the question in. Jongin may have said it, but was it true? Ooh, it was just too weird now that he’d said it in the heat of the moment even if he wasn’t really sure about it. The worst was that he couldn’t even take it back; he would just hurt Jongin’s feelings anyway. It would never work, not in a million years. _Remember what I said last night? Yeah, it wasn’t true. Sorry, I hope we’re cool_.

All the questions in his head whirled around his brain, giving him a migraine until Baekhyun and Luhan waved at him, distracting him from his thoughts. “I took the liberty to prepare some of the supplies, so all we have to do is put them together now,” Luhan smiled as Kyungsoo joined them again.

“Jongin told me that we’re gonna be gone for about a week or more. Do we have to bring a lot of food and stuff?” He asked, turning to Luhan. “I can’t really say, my little duckling. It’s my first time travelling with Kai, actually,” Luhan laughed.

“Oh? You mean Jongin’s the one who does all the dirty work?” Kyungsoo’s eyebrows shot up, mildly surprised.

“He chooses to do it. Kai prefers to be hands on since he’s more than capable,” Luhan explained. “I’m much more delicate than my brother,” Luhan winked. Kyungsoo almost rolled his eyes. Delicate wasn’t a word he would use to describe Luhan. Scheming, perhaps, or cunning.

They were directed to a hall by the kitchen, wonderful smells wafting towards Kyungsoo’s nose as the servants clanged and bopped about in the kitchen, cooking endless amounts of food. Apparently, Luhan told him, there were always people hungry in the castle. A servant here, a stable boy there, the gardener’s wife who had just gotten pregnant with her second child… Jongin had ordered the kitchen staff to feed every single person in the castle who served the royal family; there would be no starving in his presence as long as he could provide for them.

Kyungsoo felt his heart warm at the thought of Jongin’s kindness. It gave him tingles in his chest to know that Jongin was thoughtful, unlike Luhan’s frivolous and fickle heart. His first impression of Luhan was definitely a misguided observation. God bless Sehun who wasn’t here to witness Luhan’s true self as he picked up a backpack from the ground that the servants had laid out and dropped it back down in distaste, asking a servant to bring him a bag that would ‘match my robes better.’ Kyungsoo could only imagine Luhan writing lovey dovey, romantic words to Sehun when in fact he was a cunning fox in human form.

Kyungsoo picked up one of the backpacks and a big piece of leather skin of some sort which he assumed was for sleeping, rolling it up and packing it into the backpack he had chosen. “Oh no, my dear duckling, just tell the girls which one of the supplies you want and they’ll pack it for you,” Luhan fretted over Kyungsoo, trying to get him to put the backpack down.

“It’s okay! I’ll pack it myself so that I’ll know where everything is,” Kyungsoo said, waving Luhan away. Luhan pursed his lips, leaving Kyungsoo alone.

Kyungsoo picked each item up and examined them: a bundle of dry sticks (to make a fire), empty oilskins to fill them up with water, rolls of rope, small knives and a few sets of bow and arrows. “I don’t think I’m going to have that,” Kyungsoo laughed at the bow, picking it up and feeling the taut string. “Yeah, neither of us will be bringing that, I think,” Baekhyun agreed, packing his own bag too.

“Do you not learn archery in the Pureblood world?” Luhan asked, taking the bow from Kyungsoo’s hand. “Shoot that apple,” Baekhyun said to Luhan, pointing to a basket of fruits someone had set down on the ground at the end of the long hallway. An apple sat at the very top, its red skin shining. “Very well,” Luhan smiled, picking up an arrow. He took aim, pulling the string back and took a few seconds to point the arrow at the apple.

Luhan’s hand let go of the string with a twang, and the arrow flew with a hiss in the air, striking the apple and piercing it to the wall behind it. “You can actually do something beneficial,” Kyungsoo said with false awe. Luhan sniffled at him, putting the bow down.

“Show off,” Baekhyun teased. Luhan pushed him over, scoffing.

“Oh well,” Kyungsoo said to himself, going back to packing his things. An oilskin or two? Would the skins be heavy on his back later if he carried it? Kyungsoo briefly considered over which one of the knives to bring. Some had ivory handles, and some were regular wooden handles. Guessing that maybe the ivory ones were more expensive, he decided to take the one with a light coloured wooden handle, just in case he had to pay some money back if he ever lost it.

Tucking it into the side of the backpack, a servant came to put it aside. “We will fill it up as best as we can with food,” she said. Kyungsoo nodded and thanked her, wandering over to Baekhyun to see if he needed help. As it turned out, Baekhyun was as helpless as a babe, never having been to camping before. So Kyungsoo had to take some time to pack for Baekhyun, pausing every so often to ask him to choose between a few items.

 “Do you want a big oilskin for water or do you want like, a pair of oilskins?”

“Ah, I don’t know! Just put everything in and if it fits then its cool,” Baekhyun threw his hands in the air, sitting on the bench behind Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo gave up on him then, putting one of everything into the bag. “There. It’s done. What are we supposed to do next?” Kyungsoo asked.

“Well, we could visit my good friend who sends me my mail,” Luhan said thoughtfully. “You both might enjoy it, he’s a Pureblood—”

“There are Purebloods in Lycanfort?” Kyungsoo cut in. “Of course. There’s a family or two in every town,” Luhan said, putting a leg up on the bench. “His name is Yixing. Zhang Yixing. Nice fellow. Likes to fool around with the vampires occasionally,” he mouthed the word vampires conspiratorially.

“Look who’s talking,” Baekhyun laughed. “I only consort with the one, whereas he,” Luhan shook his head. “Some of the vampires trade gold for antique goods with his family, and they only choose to acknowledge them because the vampires pay generous sums each them they trade.”

“So he sells antique stuff?” Baekhyun asked, checking his fingernails.

“His _family_. Not Yixing himself. He’s too free spirited to be bound down by family duty,” Luhan smiled wistfully. “His parents only stand his behaviour as long as he doesn’t cause trouble,” Luhan got up, readjusting his robes. 

“Are we going to see him now?” Kyungsoo asked, tying Baekhyun’s backpack up and putting it against the wall for the servants to deal with later.

“Yes. We shall have lunch with him, and I shall see if Sehun has any letters for me,” Luhan said with a coy smile, swinging his robes around again. Kyungsoo wondered if Sehun thought of Luhan as a child still. _He certainly wasn’t the little boy he had met all those years ago_ , Kyungsoo thought, looking at Luhan waving his robes around as he walked.

*

Kyungsoo got off the horse, feeling seasick, or horse sick, to be more precise. The ride was terrible, the horse galloping like a mad thing between Kyungsoo’s legs and snorting every step of the way. Luhan looked fine getting off the horse, his back straight and his gait still the same as ever, if not a little more keyed up to be at Yixing’s doorstep. He skipped around, waiting for Kyungsoo and Baekhyun to recover from the puke inducing ride.

“How do they do it?” Baekhyun groaned, walking with his back bent over. “I swear, I must’ve broken every single bone on that damned ride,” Baekhyun said, holding his back like an old man. Kyungsoo was no better, bending over with his hands on his knees, coughing up spit and trying to decide whether or not he should puke in someone’s flower bed.

“Luhan? Is that you cavorting around in my front yard?” a voice called from inside the little house. It looked more like a cottage, although Kyungsoo couldn’t be sure. He had never actually seen a cottage, so he couldn’t tell, but there was a thatched roof made of dried straw, the entire house made of the same strange rock in the castle. A cobblestoned path led a way to the front door, and Kyungsoo did his best to follow it, his legs wobbling like a new born deer.

The door flung open, a boy with dark hair and dimples when he smiled stepping out to give Luhan a hug and a kiss on Luhan’s cheek (It surprised Kyungsoo enough to make him forget about his horse sickness for a second). He waved at Baekhyun and Kyungsoo like they were old friends, and Kyungsoo bowed weakly at him, stumbling into his house. Baekhyun tripped on a stone and fell over with a yell. “Why isn’t the ground even?! How am I supposed to fucking walk?!” he raged, face red.

Kyungsoo wanted to laugh, plopping into a chair without looking around the house. He gave a giggle but then stopped, the movement jostling his stomach. Now that he was inside he couldn’t puke, not until he got to know Yixing a bit first. Luhan closed the door behind him, Yixing helping Baekhyun in. He sat him down in a chair near Kyungsoo, offering them some herbal tea. “Horse riding isn’t for everyone,” he smirked, reaching for a jar in a shelf above him.

“You can say that again,” Kyungsoo rubbed his hand over his face. Yixing prepared the tea efficiently, brewing it in a teapot and putting it at the fireplace. “It will boil soon,” Yixing said reassuringly, putting a hand on Baekhyun’s shoulder. “I think I’m going to die,” Baekhyun said weakly, looking blankly at the ceiling. His face was pale and waxy, sticky with sweat from the ride in the Sun.

“What can I do for you today, Luhan? I’m afraid nothing has come for you from Sehun so far, Jongdae hasn’t passed anything to me these past two days,” Yixing said, sitting beside Luhan on a bench.

“That’s fine,” Luhan said curtly, looking offended that Sehun hadn’t yet replied his last letter. “But that wasn’t the only reason I came today. You’ve met Kyungsoo and Baekhyun, yes, my lovely ducklings?” Luhan held a hand out at the both of them as if he was presenting his children to Yixing. “Oh yes, I think we’ll get along just fine. They’re the ones you told me about?” Yixing asked Luhan, smiling at them. He didn’t even make a comment about their green faces.

“Yes, it’s the both of them. But I digress; the reason why I came is to tell you about my brother’s latest mission. He’s going—We’re going to Europe, all of us,” Luhan said, pointing vaguely at Kyungsoo and Baekhyun.

“Really?” Yixing said, not quite convinced. He got up to check on the teapot, peering at it. “Hmm, it’s not quite done yet. Tell me more about your brother’s endeavour.”

Luhan launched into the story, telling it with flair and added embellishments here and there. He threw in some of his own opinions on why the vampires might want to kidnap Chanyeol, but Kyungsoo was too tired for him to even make a comment. Yixing eventually poured the tea in the middle of the story, and Kyungsoo drank from a small cup, the hot tea soothing his troubled loins.

“So Chanyeol is in need of help, hmm?” Yixing said, rubbing his chin. “Do you think you might need help? I could bring Jongdae along too, and he could show you the way, perhaps even cut the trip short by making a Portal—”

“I am open to the idea, but I don’t think Kai would be as gracious about it as me,” Luhan said decisively.

“I could talk him into it, if you think bringing Yixing is a good idea. And is Jongdae a vampire, ‘cause I heard something about making Portals,” Kyungsoo said, putting the cup of tea down. Baekhyun had already dozed off on the chair, drool running down his chin.

“Mm. Jongdae is a renegade vampire because he was kicked out from Europe after he committed a crime,” Yixing said to Kyungsoo. “What was his crime?” Kyungsoo said, worried that he might be travelling with not just a criminal, but a vampire criminal. “He refused to kill a Pureblood by draining their blood,” Yixing shrugged.

“Isn’t that a good thing?”

“It is a tradition for every adolescent vampire to make their first kill by draining the victim of their blood. He refused because it was cruel and senseless. His family gave him up to the government, and they kicked him out, wanting no part of a vampire that they deem useless,” Yixing said. “He can still use magic though, and he delivers all the goods to Europe so that we don’t have to in exchange for a cup of blood every night,” Yixing said cheerfully.

“That’s all they need?” Kyungsoo asked, the air going out of him.

If it was only one cup of blood they needed, then what was the point in killing their victims? Yixing seemed to read the question in Kyungsoo’s mind and said, “Yes, that’s all they actually require to be at full strength. But it has always been a tradition of theirs to er, finish their meal, so to speak,” Yixing cleared his throat. Vampires gorging themselves for the fun of it… Kyungsoo gave a shudder.

“Sehun doesn’t kill though. He told me that he takes just enough and leaves them alive. He only kills when he’s forced to in front of their comrades,” Luhan said, wanting to defend Sehun.

“He’s not the first vampire who’s done that. Many are starting to lose faith in Yifan, but he still holds reign over the elder vampires, and so he’s still King, whether Kai likes it or not,” Yixing said, pouring a cup of tea for himself.

“Ah, speaking of the European King, I came to ask you to tell my ducklings a bit more about the vampires. You know, just to enlighten the cute little buttons,” Luhan said, excited.

“Oh? Well, we should probably get Jongdae to do that, he tells it so much better than me… But it’s day out now,” Yixing said, suddenly remembering that the sun was still out. “I guess you’ll just have to deal with me,” he laughed, turning his body to Kyungsoo’s direction. Kyungsoo leaned over to flick Baekhyun’s cheek to wake him up.

“Wake up, loser,” Kyungsoo said. Baekhyun cracked open an eye, trying to slap himself awake and accidentally touched the drool on his face. “What the fuck happened to me?” he said, wiping at his drool with his sleeve.

“Life,” Kyungsoo said, handing him his cup of tea. “Go on,” he said to Yixing.

“You know about the King and his royalty, yes?” Yixing asked. Kyungsoo nodded. “What about the vampire classes, do you know of it?” Yixing cocked his head to one side. “Er, no,” Kyungsoo said, looking at Baekhyun, who shook his head as well.

“Ah, then we can start there. The three vampire classes are absolutely simple. It can be arranged in a pyramid, with royal vampires at the very top. But let’s start from the bottom.

“There are ordinary vampires, with a much more voracious appetite than the ones above them. They are much more vicious than the rest, barbaric at times, and you would do best to avoid them. They are the ones who truly show you the meaning of blood thirsty, but death comes mercifully within minutes at their hands because they are always hungry for the next, never pacing themselves to feed.

“These ordinary vampires serve aristocrats. The aristocrat vampires are much calmer than the ordinary ones, but more cruel because they love to play with their food. They are smarter than the ordinary ones as well, an upgraded version, in a way. They wield magic very easily, and are said to have powers of their own. Jongdae, is an aristocrat, for example, and he can control thunder. Not all aristocrats have abilities, though. Only a few of them are ever strong enough to be capable of doing more than magic.

“The royals are the ones who rule over the aristocrats. All of the royals have abilities of their own. A royal is one who used to be an aristocrat but has risen above the rest after mastering magic, achieving all the spells listed in _Den Boken av Kaos_.”

“And what’s that?” Baekhyun asked.

“It is a spell book owned by every aristocrat called The Book of Chaos. It is of dark magic and Jongdae does not speak of it, and so I know close to nothing about it. All I know is that it takes a toll on the caster, and many of the spells require Pureblood sacrifices. Many have attempted it, and many have died because the magic is too strong. An aristocrat can attain royalty this way, or take the easier path,” Yixing said, stopping to sip at his tea.

Kyungsoo looked at Baekhyun, wondering if he was getting shivers down his back. Vampires were much darker than he thought, much more terrible and horrifying than the werewolves.

“What is the other way to become royalty?” Kyungsoo asked Yixing softly, not entirely sure if he wanted an answer to that.

“It is a way that is considered to be abominable by all of the vampires. There are only a handful of royals in Europe, and only one has ever used this way to become royalty. He is now King of Europe,” Yixing muttered.

“The easiest way to become a royal is to kill twelve aristocrats, all under a full moon, and drink their blood. Every. Last. Drop.” Yixing enunciated.

Even Luhan gagged, blanching. Kyungsoo blinked, starting to wonder if Chanyeol would still be alive by the time they reached Europe. If they were truly as murderous and blood thirsty as Yixing said, then surely Chanyeol didn’t stand a chance? Baekhyun sat silently, his tea untouched.

“Of course, it’s never been confirmed. Yifan swept it right under the carpet, even when the entire nation of Europe questioned the sudden deaths of twelve aristocrats…” Yixing scratched his neck awkwardly. “Is that one of the reasons why he’s still King?” Luhan asked.

Yixing nodded. “They’re afraid to kill him because there has never been anyone strong enough to kill twelve aristocrats in one night. Nobody dares to defy him, and he sits on that throne every day, ruling century after century.”

“They say that he still maintains his powers, yet what his abilities are is a mystery. None have ever seen him use his abilities, so Europe is starting to doubt he has any,” Yixing refilled Kyungsoo’s and Baekhyun’s cup.

“Sehun has spoken of becoming a royal but… he never mentioned all of this,” Luhan said, fingers fluttering about nervously. “It is uncommon for them to speak of their magic, Luhan. Don’t take it to heart. He must have wanted to keep you safe, should your letters to him ever be found. They try not to mention the spell book to shroud themselves in mystery, but in truth,” Yixing shook his head. “To be royal is to be a killer.”

Kyungsoo understood what Yixing meant, even if it went unspoken.“I think we should get back now,” Kyungsoo said gently to Luhan.

“I think Yixing and Jongdae would be valuable to us, and they’d definitely help us out if we ever get in trouble. Right?” he turned to Yixing for assurance. “If you can convince the King to bring us along, I can be prepared in less than fifteen minutes,” Yixing said, nodding eagerly. “It has been a long time since my last visit to Europe,” he said softly, more to himself than to Kyungsoo.

“Alright then. We’ll go home now, and you can tell Kai about this new plan. I do not know how you will convince him to bring a vampire along on our trip, but I wish you luck,” Luhan said shakily, his eyes teary. Kyungsoo couldn’t blame him for feeling shaken about how Sehun could potentially be a ruthless killer after all. Even angels have their wicked schemes.

“C’mon, Baek. We’re riding home,” Kyungsoo said, looking out the window. The sun was high up, slightly towards the west, indicating that it was late afternoon. “What about lunch?” Baekhyun asked.

“We’ll eat at the castle. Your BFF is all shaken up now,” Kyungsoo whispered, pointing at Luhan. Baekhyun glanced at him, taking in Luhan’s pale face.

“Yeah, I’d say that’s a good idea.”

*

At the dining table, Luhan, Baekhyun and Kyungsoo sat together at the table, eating quietly. Jongin said that he would join them in a while, but he hadn’t yet come around, so they were munching on their food in silence, the atmosphere for once, tense.

“I wanted to see Sehun again,” Luhan broke the silence, picking at his steak. It was untouched, as was the rest of his food on his plate. “I wanted… I wanted to meet the majestic Sehun again, to see his beauty with my own eyes and to touch him again. But there is so much more to this than I thought and I don’t know if I can make it,” Luhan said, tears spilling down to the table.

“Hey, it’s okay,” Kyungsoo said, trying to calm him down. “No, it’s not okay! There is a chance that Sehun could die trying to become royalty, or he could become a monster like Yifan, killing his own kind and drinking their blood for his own gain…” Luhan sobbed, wiping at his tears angrily.

“I can’t eat anymore,” Luhan said, getting up and storming off in tears. “I think it’s reasonable if you go after him this time,” Kyungsoo said to Baekhyun beside him.

“Shut up. You are my best friend, the real one, because you don’t come home sobbing to me like this all the time,” Baekhyun said, getting up and running after Luhan. “You mean this isn’t his first time crying?” Kyungsoo called after him. Baekhyun gave him a middle finger without turning around.

Going back to his meal, he ate his potato mash slowly, the servants coming over to see what was going on, but seeing only Kyungsoo at the table, they returned to their business, clearing the table quietly. “Leave the plate for Baekhyun. He’s hungry,” Kyungsoo stopped the servant from taking Baekhyun’s plate away.

“He’s finally admitted that I’m the better friend, and I’ll be nice to him just this once,” he smiled at the servant, who didn’t have a single clue about what he was talking about.

“My love? Why are you dining alone?” Jongin said, entering the hall with a surprised expression.

“Oh, sit down. Your brother is freaking out, and Baekhyun went to pacify him, so I’m here alone. Waiting for you,” Kyungsoo quickly added, trying to butter Jongin up.

Jongin sat down, waving at one of the servants to serve him. _She’ll probably give you Luhan’s steak, he didn’t touch it at all_ , Kyungsoo thought. “I saw you riding out with Luhan just now. Where did you go?” Jongin asked.

“Just went to see his friend. Some guy named Yixing,” Kyungsoo said, starting off casual. He would build his way up, and ask about Jongdae in a minute. “Ah yes, the name is familiar. Is he the one who deals with antiques?” Jongin said, snapping his fingers.

“Yeah, that’s the guy,” Kyungsoo said, looking up when a servant came with Luhan’s plate, the steak only turned over with an extra dose of blood all over it. She looked at Kyungsoo pleadingly, and Kyungsoo blinked, pretending to see nothing. He could recognize the plate; it was lined with gold all around the sides, and he kept a smile to himself.

“So we went over to his place to ask him a bit more about um, about Europe,” Kyungsoo said, finishing his meal and pushing it away.

“Oh?”

“Mm. It was fun to learn more about the vampires, and er, how they practice their traditions,” Kyungsoo said, looking at everything but Jongin.

“You needn’t talk to Yixing about that. My men have more information about the vampires and their ways than any commoner in the land. Take all their stories with a pinch of salt, love, they are nothing but stories,” Jongin scoffed, cutting up his steak and taking a bite.

“Well yeah, but does any of your men have friends in Europe like Yixing?” Kyungsoo asked.

Jongin dropped his fork, dotting his clothes in blood. “It is… not illegal to consort with the vampires, my love. But it is certainly dangerous,” Jongin said, narrowing his eyes. “Have you been attacked by a vampire?”

“No, nothing like that. It’s day out anyway, right?” Kyungsoo laughed nervously. Jongin was on to him, he could sense it.

“But it’s just that Yixing and his friend, Jongdae are really well informed about the vampires, and I really think they could help you if we brought them along on the trip,” Kyungsoo said, reaching for Jongin’s hand.

“And Jongdae is another friend who consorts with the vampires as well?” Jongin asked, holding Kyungsoo’s hand while he ate.

“Um, I guess you could say that. He’s um… he’s really clever and he knows a lot more about vampires. He told me about their magic, and their book of spells or something, it was all very knowledgeable—”

“Book of spells?” Jongin lifted an eyebrow, fork in midair.

“See, you know nothing about it! Clearly, he’s someone you could definitely bring along,” Kyungsoo said, rubbing Jongin’s hand. “Perhaps it would be good to discuss with him a few things about the mission,” Jongin said, only half convinced.

“No, it’d be totally _great_ if you brought him with us. He can uh… Um… Make fires?” Kyungsoo grimaced. _Oh God, anyone in this era can build a damn fire, Kyungsoo!_ He chastised himself.

“I suppose a man knowledgeable about vampires is worth his salt to bring along,” Jongin echoed. “And when exactly, were you going to tell me he’s a vampire?”

“Oh, well, I was going to tell you later but I—Oh shit,” Kyungsoo slapped a hand over his mouth. He stared at Jongin with his mouth hanging open like a fish. “You knew?” he squeaked.

“It was a deal between Europe and Lycanfort to take in Jongdae and to make sure he never attempts to return to Europe,” Jongin looked at Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo wanted to melt into the ground and die.

“It is unsafe to consort with them, my love, a risk I am not willing to take,” Jongin said, his tone final. “But…” Kyungsoo said, trying one last time. “I promise he’s not going to a pain in the ass! He’s like a vegetarian vampire or something, he doesn’t kill people,” Kyungsoo argued.

“No,” Jongin shook his head.

Kyungsoo practically pulled his hair out. It was a chance to perhaps outwit the King of Europe and Jongin was saying _no_?

“But if he’s there, then we could like, sneak Chanyeol out of Europe, and we’d never have to fight or anything,” Kyungsoo pleaded, squeezing Jongin’s hand. Jongin shook his head again, refusing to cooperate.

“He is a liability, and I will not risk bringing him into Europe. If the King finds out, I could start a war,” Jongin said sensibly. Kyungsoo grunted in frustration.

He took a deep breath, calming himself and patting his hair down. _Okay, then, Kyungsoo, you have to get out the big guns_ , he breathed through his nose, trying not to look desperate.

“Jongin, do you know how much I looooove you?” Kyungsoo said softly, getting up and placing a hand on Jongin’s shoulder. Jongin looked up at him suspiciously while Kyungsoo rubbed Jongin’s shoulders.

“Ooh, you’re tense today. Was the planning hard?” Kyungsoo cooed, trying out all the words his mother said to his father when she wanted his credit card. “Treading the land of Europe is always dangerous,” Jongin said stiffly, resisting Kyungsoo’s attempts to get him to soften up.

“Look at Jongin working so hard,” Kyungsoo said, massaging Jongin’s shoulders. Jongin stiffened for a moment, before relaxing under his hands, letting him work at his shoulder muscles.

“I swear, I’ve never had such fun times in my life before I met you,” Kyungsoo said, attacking Jongin right where he knew Jongin was vulnerable. Jongin wavered, glancing up at Kyungsoo affectionately. “ _Min kjærlighet_ , you know I enjoy your presence here in my castle,” he said, touching Kyungsoo’s hand. Kyungsoo let his hands run down Jongin’s chest, sitting on his throne’s armrest.

“And I have a great idea on how you can let me know how much you appreciate and love me,” Kyungsoo whispered, nibbling Jongin’s earlobe. Jongin smiled, seeing through Kyungsoo’s plan. He avoided the bait, turning his head to kiss Kyungsoo instead.

“My answer is still no, _min kjærlighet_ , but know that I do this only for your safety,” he replied, taking the last bite in his steak. “What can I do to remedy this negativity, Jongin?” Kyungsoo said, sliding onto Jongin’s lap and putting his arms around Jongin’s neck so that he wouldn’t escape. “This negativity gives me really bad vibes, and you know I love it when you say yes,” Kyungsoo said, kissing Jongin’s jaw.

“There is nothing you can do to change my mind, my love,” Jongin standing up to Kyungsoo’s astonishment, lifting Kyungsoo up in his arms. “Your safety comes before all else, my love. I have already compromised by bringing you along,” he reminded Kyungsoo, putting him down gently.

“No? Nothing at all?” Kyungsoo said, not ready to give up. It was fun anyway, to toy with Jongin like this. If he was still talking to Kyungsoo, it still meant an opportunity to change his mind.

“Not even this?” Kyungsoo kissed Jongin on the mouth, pulling his head down to his height. “No, _min kjærlighet,_ none of that,” Jongin gasped, bringing Kyungsoo close.

“Are you sure?” Kyungsoo murmured, kissing him again. He kissed Jongin like he never did before, pulling out all the stops _. Baekhyun owes me a million dollars for this_ , he thought in his head, tonguing Jongin’s mouth. Jongin gripped Kyungsoo’s waist strongly, his hands digging into Kyungsoo’s sides.

“There’s more where this came from,” Kyungsoo whispered, breaking off to breathe and kissing him again, bringing his legs up to hook them around Jongin’s waist. Jongin nearly toppled over, putting a hand on the chair to steady himself.

“Alright, my love,” Jongin said, breaking Kyungsoo’s kiss. “You shall have your companion,” he said, breathless. “That was fast,” Kyungsoo commented, jumping off of Jongin. “I shall have to inform my men,” Jongin said, flustering about with a blush on his cheeks.

“Thank you, Jongin,” Kyungsoo said, touching his hand. “I love you, _min kjærlighet_ ,” Jongin gave Kyungsoo a chaste kiss on the cheek before he walked away, raking his hand through his hair. Kyungsoo hesitated, wondering if he should return Jongin with the same words. _Did I push myself into the ‘I love you’ corner without realizing?_ Jongin looked like he didn’t mind, but isn’t that how it starts out before he starts noticing how Kyungsoo would never reply him with the same three words?

“Oh my God,” Kyungsoo muttered, messing his hair up in frustration. _I don’t even know what I’m doing._

_*_

In the evening, Kyungsoo had taken a short nap to energize himself for the horse-of-hell’s ride, but Jongin shook him awake, dragging him out of the bed and tugging him all the way to the so called ‘indoor bath’, pushed Kyungsoo into a tub filled with hot water, claiming that bathing together would ‘save time and water.’

“I can’t believe you just did a cheesy pickup line on me at this ungodly hour,” Kyungsoo grumbled light heartedly, throwing off his nightgown. He had asked the servants dry clean his clothes (he wasn’t sure if they understood what dry cleaning was, but they managed to clean it in time for him) and was forced to wear a nightgown for warmth’s sake. Kyungsoo was more than happy to spend time with Jongin in the water than to wear it again.

“I mentioned nothing of cheese,” Jongin frowned at Kyungsoo, pouring water from his cupped hands on Kyungsoo’s hair. Kyungsoo said never mind, picking up a bar of soap and rubbed it between his hands, washing his body thoroughly. “This will be the last bath we’ll have for a week,” Jongin had warned him, and damn if Kyungsoo wasn’t gonna try and be clean for the first few days.

Because it was dark he couldn’t see Jongin’s body in the water at all, but had a distinct feeling that Jongin could probably see just fine, and he tried not to think about it, washing himself up as best as he could without exposing himself above the water.

“ _Min kjærlighet_ , why do you evade me so?” Jongin asked, holding Kyungsoo’s face up to his gaze. “It’s weird. To be nude. With you. Duh,” Kyungsoo said, trying to laugh it off. “It is only me, _min kjærlighet,_ there is no one else here to see you,” Jongin laughed, washing himself up too.

“I don’t have a ripped body like yours, so getting into my birthday suit is harder than you think,” Kyungsoo replied, flicking his hair about and squeezing the water out. Jongin got out first, water spilling off of his body like art. He picked up a towel, motioning for Kyungsoo to come out. “Ugh,” Kyungsoo groaned, bracing himself and getting out of the tub gingerly, shivering in the cold almost at once.

“There is nothing wrong with you, my love,” Jongin said, coming over to drape the towel over Kyungsoo. He did the same for himself, drying himself slowly while Kyungsoo hurried through it, reaching for his clothes set out on the table.

Kyungsoo put them on, buttoning up the vest. “Do you have gloves?” Kyungsoo asked, towel hanging over his head. “I have a pair. You can have them,” Jongin said, tossing them to him. They were black, probably used for riding.

“I think I’ll need to bring my own clothes soon,” Kyungsoo muttered, his clothes hanging off of him in some places. The top cotton top was obviously not his size, and he tucked it into his pants here and there. “Come, my love, your hair isn’t dry enough,” Jongin said, and Kyungsoo went over to him, letting Jongin dry his hair while he continued adjusting his top until it didn’t look like a piece of crap on him. Jongin wound the towel around Kyungsoo, realizing a second too late that Jongin pulled him close, kissing him hard on the lips.

“My love, I remember giving you a small present the last time you were here and it came to me that you don’t have it on your person,” Jongin said, his hands going to the small of Kyungsoo’s back.

“It’s here,” Kyungsoo fumbled between them, reaching into his pocket and pulling the triangle out, holding it in front of Jongin. Jongin took it from Kyungsoo’s palm, reaching away from Kyungsoo to take something glittering on the table. He touched the triangle, twisting something in his hands and holding the sigma out dangling on a gold chain.

“I thought you might want to wear it instead of having to hide it in your pockets,” Jongin said, tone embarrassed. Kyungsoo let Jongin put it on, his fingers locking the clasp together and he leaned back to look at it, placing the sigma in the hollow of his throat. “So beautiful,” Jongin murmured under his breath. Kyungsoo couldn’t tell if he meant the necklace or him _. Probably the former_ , he thought. “Thank you. I still haven’t gotten you anything,” Kyungsoo said, touching Jongin’s face.  

“Your happiness is enough,” Jongin kissed him. “Can you keep it on for me?” Jongin asked, looking down at the sigma.

“Sure, why not?” Kyungsoo said, looking at it. Kai looked absurdly pleased at that for some reason. Kyungsoo thought that it looked nice enough on him, and since Kai wanted him to wear it… “I’m sure your brother and Baekhyun will have a lot to say about it,” Kyungsoo said dryly, linking hand with Jongin while they walked. “Let them talk,” Jongin said, winking.

At the stables, Jongin and Kyungsoo waited for Baekhyun and Luhan to show up while they ate at the stables to save time. Kyungsoo opted for garlic bread, Jongin took a sandwich that had blood dripping from it, disgusting Kyungsoo in many ways, but he kept quiet, not letting Jongin’s diet affect his excitement. He was thrilled, bordering on ecstatic to be able to visit Europe (although it isn’t the same one in his world) with Jongin, and if Luhan and Baekhyun couldn’t come… Well, he couldn’t be bothered.

Kyungsoo had to remind himself constantly though, that this trip was meant for Baekhyun more than anyone else. _Chanyeol’s life is in danger, and all I can think about is cavorting around on a horse with Jongin,_ Kyungsoo blushed.

Yixing and Jongdae arrived first, guards following after them with spears pointed in Jongdae’s direction. He looked agitated even from afar, but Kyungsoo couldn’t blame for feeling that way.

Jongdae had killer cheekbones and red eyes that burned rather than glowed, but he looked nice whenever his guard was down when he spoke to Yixing. He was wearing sturdy clothes that looked more modern than what Jongin and the rest of the people in Lycanfort wore, and he assumed that Jongdae had gotten his clothes from Kyungsoo’s world.

Jongin went over to introduce himself and to talk about boring stuff, so Kyungsoo went on stuffing himself, drinking as little water possible; he didn’t want to make a thousand stops just to pee. He watched Jongdae from where he sat, trying to gauge Jongdae’s character from his body language. He was more than willing to share information about Europe, from what Kyungsoo could see.

“The forest ends at the European border, and we’ll need to be careful from thereon out. Can you make a Portal in case of an emergency?” Jongin asked.

“I can, but I will need to know how many there will be in your company,” Jongdae replied, looking around. His eyes landed on Kyungsoo for the briefest moment, latching onto the necklace around his neck before continuing. “Will you be bringing him?” Jongdae asked offhandedly.

“He’s your Pureblood, no?” Jongdae said, lifting an eyebrow at Jongin.

“There will be eight in all of the company, Jongdae,” Jongin replied him smoothly, squaring his shoulders. “And I suggest you keep out in matters that do not concern you,” Jongin said menacingly, sauntering off, probably to hurry Luhan and Baekhyun up.

Kyungsoo took the opportunity to get up, smacking his hands together to get rid of the crumbs. He went to Jongdae’s side of the stable, offering a hand to him. “Um, hi. I’m Kyungsoo, Luhan’s friend,” smiling.

Jongdae looked surprised that Kyungsoo would be talking to him, but he shook his hand and fist bumped him. “You been here long?” Jongdae asked, sounding like any other guy back home.

“Um, no. Do you spend a lot of time in my world?” Kyungsoo asked. “Why, yes, I do. The Pureblood world offers many strange things, including new sights and manners of speaking. I may have taken some time off in Lycanfort to wander your world,” Jongdae said playfully.

“Oh, that’s cool. Were you there for very long?” Kyungsoo asked, feeling comfortable to be speaking to Jongdae. Other than his eyes, there was nothing to indicate that he was like any of the vampires in Europe that everyone had told him about.    

“Not long, just intervals of a day or two. I can’t survive long without blood,” smiling widely at Kyungsoo, Jongdae’s fangs slid into sight, two sharp teeth located above his gums. “Right. Sorry. You’re just not… what I expected,” Kyungsoo apologetically.

“You too. You don’t act like Kai’s—” Yixing accidentally kicked some hay up and it plopped on Jongdae’s shoes. “Oh my god, what the fuck, Yixing, these are new shoes,” Jongdae said, brushing the hay off. There was a dirty stain on his boots now, hardly noticeable but Jongdae complained so much that you would think there was mud in his shoes.

Yixing touched his shoulder, muttering an apology and something else Kyungsoo didn’t quite catch. “Oh right,” Jongdae said to him, nodding. He looked back at Kyungsoo with a smile, and said, “Where were we?”

Kyungsoo was about to say something when Baekhyun and Luhan appeared in the corner of his eye, carrying backpacks and wearing pants instead of nightgowns or long, flowy robes(for once). Baekhyun dressed warmly, unlike Luhan who wore baggy pants and a cotton top similar to Kyungsoo’s. If anything he looked like he was prepared for an early summer picnic instead of riding out to Europe.

“Ah! Yixing, you’re already here. Oh, I see you’ve brought Jongdae as well,” Luhan said, introducing Baekhyun to Jongdae. Baekhyun looked nervous to see all the guards with spears pointed in their general direction, and Kyungsoo went to his side to calm him.

“They’re afraid that Jongdae might attack, but I don’t think he will. He’s really nice and I don’t get why they’re being so rude,” Kyungsoo whispered in his ear. “Luhan told me he’s alright,” Baekhyun muttered back, hands clammy.

“Hey, you feeling okay? We’re gonna ride out now, and soon you’ll have Chanyeol back,” Kyungsoo said, thumping Baekhyun on his back. “Yeah, I know, it’s just. I don’t know, uneasy somehow. Don’t you feel it? Like a bad omen,” Baekhyun said, casting his eyes around.

Kyungsoo shook his head, not quite understanding. “Not really. I think you’re just worried,” Kyungsoo said. “Maybe you’ll get over it once we start riding. It’s probably your nerves,” Kyungsoo said, spotting Jongin and Suho from a distance. He waved at them, giving Jongin a thumbs up.

“We’re gonna head out now, I think,” Kyungsoo said, entering the stables. He touched a white horse, recognizing it from the last time he was here with Jongin. “Hey, there,” Kyungsoo said softly to the horse. “I get really horse sick, so I hope you don’t ride like a mad horse,” he touched its head, caressing it gently. The horse neighed at him, and he laughed, patting its neck.

“You don’t understand what I’m saying but, is Jongin a nice guy? Can I trust him?” Kyungsoo asked the horse, and it blinked at him.

Jongin came in the stables, showing Jongdae and Yixing their horses. Suho was joined by Minseok, who was wide eyed and carrying a backpack as well. _Why’s the stable boy coming along?_ he thought, watching Minseok patting one of the horses and cooing at it.

Kyungsoo looked around for his own backpack and found it leaning against the entrance of the stables. He undid the top to see what the servants packed for him; lots of jerky, water in his oilskins, and heaps of dry bread, among others. _Are they going to last?_ Kyungsoo wondered. _Oh well, they know what they’re doing._

He swung it onto his back, listening to what Jongin was saying to the rest of them. “All of us will have to stick together. Do not hesitate to warn any of us of danger, or any suspicious movement in the forest. This also applies when we are in Europe. Jongdae, I have a plan for you once we meet the European King, and I will tell you more later. The idea is to reach the European border by dawn, and we shall continue on if we are able to, before taking rest when the sun is high. For now, let’s move out,” he said, clapping once to dismiss them.

“This is it, then,” Kyungsoo said to himself. Jongin approached Kyungsoo, pointing at his own horse. “This is Midnight. He’s calmer than most horses, and I’d prefer it if you were on a calm horse,” Jongin said. “Oh. Okay. What about Milky?” Kyungsoo asked.

“She’s Luhan’s horse,” Jongin smiled at him. He looked happy that Kyungsoo remembered the white horse’s name. Kyungsoo was smug about it but kept his smile in check, getting Midnight to move forward out of the stable. He learned a few words from Luhan to get the horse to move, but he winced to think about galloping on the horse again. He hoped the vampires would leave them alone and just spy at them from far away instead of attacking them and forcing Kyungsoo to make the horse run. It was horrible enough to be high up from the ground, but to be on the horse when it was running was just short of catastrophic.

Once all eight of them were gathered outside, they left the castle walls, Baekhyun and Kyungsoo in the centre with Minseok and Yixing flanking them on both sides. Jongdae made sure to ride by Yixing’s side, keeping his distance from the rest. Luhan and Kai rode together in front a few feet in front of Kyungsoo and Baekhyun, talking and laughing while Suho lingered last to watch out for vampires.

They rode slowly for the first hour, passing the town and a long bridge, less and less houses built in the area as they moved forward. A forest came into focus in front of them before long, and Jongin told them that they were now going into the forest.

“It will be dark, so be careful. Stay close,” he reminded them, smiling at Kyungsoo for a moment, before looking ahead again.

“Since we’re going to be together for a while,” Baekhyun said loudly, looking over at Minseok. “Tell us more about you,” he said, giving Minseok a creepy smile. “Leave the guy alone,” Kyungsoo said. “We can always make friends,” Baekhyun replied. Minseok looked troubled, as if he wasn’t sure if he was allowed to talk about himself. “I’m a stable boy? I was asked to come along this trip to protect you,” he said hesitantly.

“What happened to the other men?” Kyungsoo asked. “Every single soldier has been sent to all the towns in Lycanfort now that the royal family isn’t present to protect the country. I was the only one available for the mission, and it is an honour to be chosen to protect you,” he said solemnly.

“Cool. What colour is your fur when you Phase?” Baekhyun asked, shooting questions at him.

“A light shade of brown.”

“Age?”

“45.”

“Hey, you’re old,” Baekhyun looked at Minseok wonderingly. “Wolves age differently, Baek,” Kyungsoo snapped. “Sorry about that, he’s rude sometimes,” Kyungsoo said to Minseok. Jongin glanced back at Kyungsoo.

“I’m full of anxiety. Bear with me, Minseok. Okay, so are you married?”

“No.”

“Are you taller when you Phase?”

Minseok looked baffled at that. “I have never thought to measure myself when I Phase, but I am physically built much larger than this form, yes,” he answered. “Very cool,” Baekhyun said.

Kyungsoo wasn’t sure if he would be sane by the time he reached Europe.

For the whole night they travelled relatively quickly, passing through the forest without a hitch to Kyungsoo’s relief. There weren’t as many mosquitoes in the forest as Kyungsoo predicted, and they moved at such a constant pace that he fell asleep for a while, leaning on the horse to sleep.

 He woke up when he noticed that they were all silent, and he opened his eyes to a landscape covered in mist, their only guide a path on the ground. Jongin and Luhan were on edge, frequently exchanging glances and looking into the mist. Kyungsoo couldn’t see anything, but he thought that maybe they could see through the mist and he laid low on the horse, pretending to be asleep.

“Is something wrong?” Kyungsoo mouthed to Baekhyun. Baekhyun gave an uneasy shrug with his shoulders. He held out a hand at Kyungsoo, and wrote on Kyungsoo’s palm when he did the same. “They shushed me up a couple minutes ago. Must be vampires,” Baekhyun wrote word for word on Kyungsoo’s hand.

Suddenly, the tension in the air became almost palpable between Kyungsoo’s hands. He hardly dared to breathe when Jongin signalled for them to stop, their horses coming to a halt. He got off, taking in his surroundings with all of his senses. Jongin peered at a spot in the mist, taking a few steps forward. “Stay on the path,” he said to the rest, and walked off, the mist welcoming him with open arms and closing around him rapidly.

“Jongin, don’t—!” Kyungsoo cried, reaching out for him. What the fuck was he doing, walking into danger like that? Baekhyun pulled at Kyungsoo’s clothes. “Kyungsoo! Kyungsoo, he knows what he’s doing. Trust me on this,” Baekhyun said, grabbing his arm.

“How can you be so sure?!” Kyungsoo said, trying to pry Baekhyun’s hand off. “Trust in Kai, Kyungsoo. He’s not human like us,” Baekhyun said softly.

Minseok leaned over Baekhyun. “He is right. We don’t break easily,” Minseok whispered. Kyungsoo took one look at the both of them and decided to wait this one out to see what would happen. Either they would be right, or Jongin would be dead in seconds—

A tree crashed somewhere in the distance, birds squawking and chirping indignantly. Kyungsoo held his breath, listening for any sound.

A low growl rang out on their left, echoing towards the rest of them. “That’s Kai,” Minseok said. “I think he’s found the vampire,” he said softly to Baekhyun and Kyungsoo. Yixing and Jongdae got off their horses, unsheathing their knives. “Just in case,” Yixing said over his shoulder to Suho. He gave a curt nod. The growling stopped.

Then there was a loud ripping sound, followed by a blood curdling scream. “Kai has already killed one of mine,” Jongdae said, sheathing his knife.

“Suho!” Jongin’s voice called. Suho jumped off his horse at once, tearing his clothes one by one off of his body. “Sire!” he returned the call. Mid run, Suho Phased, grey fur bursting out of his body. He too disappeared into the mist, running into the direction of Jongin’s voice.

“Yixing, it’s alright now. Kyungsoo, there’s nothing to worry about. They’re just going to light the body on fire now, to be sure,” Jongdae said, returning to his horse. “Will he be okay?” Kyungsoo said, his heart beating out of his chest like a drum.

“You’ll see in a minute,” Minseok said, smiling slightly at Kyungsoo. “How can you have so little faith in Kai, my duckling?” Luhan tutted at him.

The mist parted a few seconds later to make way for dark smoke, the smell of something burning permeating the air. “Nothing like dead vampire to brighten a wolf’s day,” Jongdae said dryly. All of them turned to look at him.

“In a good way. I meant no harm,” he held his hands out, his eyes wide to expose more of his red irises.

“It is done,” Jongin’s voice said, coming through from the mist. He was covered in fresh blood, with his clothes barely hanging onto him. The blood spatters made him look worse than what Kyungsoo thought when he wiped some of it away with a torn cloth. “Good thing you brought a spare outfit,” Luhan said, flinging some clothes at him.

Suho came back as well, significantly less blood on him than Jongin. He looked grim, as if he’d just seen something he’d rather not talk about, but otherwise, they were just fine. “Are you okay?” Kyungsoo asked Jongin softly.

Jongin looked up at him, changing quickly out of his clothes. “Why wouldn’t I be?” he said, tone light. Kyungsoo couldn’t resist anymore and slid off his horse, thumping to the ground on his borrowed boots. He pulled Jongin to him, not caring about the blood stains all over his neck and chest. “I was—I couldn’t believe you did that for us—”

“ _Min kjærlighet_ , there wasn’t a thing to worry about. It was just one lone vampire against me,” Jongin said, hugging him back and turning away from the rest. “Get on the horse,” he nudged Kyungsoo gently. “I’m fine,” he said to Kyungsoo in his ear.

Kyungsoo released him then, rearranging Jongin’s fringe for a moment and went back to his horse, avoiding Baekhyun and Luhan’s gaze pointedly. By a miracle, Kyungsoo managed to swing himself back up on the horse for the first time without any help.

“Ay, look who’s fitting in nicely with the medieval times,” Baekhyun said, earning a laugh from the others, even Jongdae. Kyungsoo’s ears burned a bright red, his back straight. “I think we’re ready to go now,” he said with stiff lips.

“Are you settled in?” Jongin said. Suho gave a short yes, and he got on as well, waving at the rest. “Let’s move on then.”

 


	6. Chapter 6

“What are you thinking of, love?” Jongin asked, laid down beside Kyungsoo.

“Um, nothing. You, I guess,” Kyungsoo said, looking up at Jongin. The night had passed, darkness lifting up to a clear blue sky above them. At least, the sky looked clear. They were still in the forest, pine trees surrounding them in all directions. Not a single vampire came after them throughout their trip so far, and for that Kyungsoo was thankful. He wasn’t sure if he could take it if Jongin had to put his life at stake for the rest of them.

Jongin had built a hammock between two trees after the sun hung low in the sky, still climbing its way up to the heavens. He’d invited Kyungsoo to snuggle with him for a little nap before they went foraging for food later.

Of course, Kyungsoo took the opportunity to spend some quality time with Jongin, lying between Jongin’s legs because the hammock was too tiny for them to lay down side by side. Sunshine peaked through the leaf mosaics, lighting the forest up like magic. “This is my third time camping out,” Kyungsoo said absently, lying down on Jongin’s chest.

“Hmm. I have been here countless times, enough to know the forest and to speak its language,” Jongin replied, carding through Kyungsoo’s hair gently. Kyungsoo gurgled happily, closing his eyes. It felt dreamy to be here in Jongin’s arms, warm and cosy in the hammock. He wondered if Baekhyun and Luhan were having as much fun as he was.

“Listen, I um. I wanted to talk to you about something,” Kyungsoo said, touching Jongin’s hand that wasn’t running through his hair. Jongin hummed in response.

“I know we’ve been uh, pretty frisky that night in your… bath.” Jongin chuckled softly in reply. “And I enjoyed it. Of course, I’m sure you could tell. But um…” Kyungsoo stopped, unsure of how he was supposed to say this.

“What is it, _min kjærlighet_?” Jongin said soothingly. He was curious now, from what Kyungsoo could hear in his voice.

“I’m not sure if I’m ready for—for sex. I mean, I like you a lot and everything, but I’ve never done it before, so it’s a big deal—”

“I’m not asking for consummation,” Jongin lifted an eyebrow, looking down at Kyungsoo with a bemused twinkle in his eye.

“What’s that?” Kyungsoo chirped. Jongin leaned back, his hand still going through Kyungsoo’s hair gently. “Sex,” he replied.

“Oh. Well. I—What do you mean, you’re not asking for sex?” Kyungsoo asked, more than slightly embarrassed. His cheeks were red, and he hoped Jongin wouldn’t see them. “I will not touch you as long as you see fit. I won’t force you into anything, my love,” Jongin said gently, bending over to kiss Kyungsoo’s lips lightly.

“Love is when two people are consensual to one another,” Jongin said, closing his eyes.

“About that. Jongin, here’s the thing,” Kyungsoo sat up to look at Jongin. He placed his forehead on Jongin’s, his breath brushing against his face.

“I really, _really_ like you. I—I know I said that I loved you that night, but that wasn’t what I—I mean, it’s not like I _don’t_ love you, ‘cause you’re really cute and nice to me all the time, but I—”

“You’re not ready, are you?” Jongin said, voice soft. Kyungsoo’s heart dropped. He felt like a failure; it didn’t feel right to do this to Jongin, and to hear him sound so dejected made him feel as if he’d disappointed Jongin somehow.

“I—I’m not, Jongin. I’ll be honest. But I like you, and I want to spend time with you, I want you… I don’t know, to hold hands with me and do all those icky, couple things. You make me happy, Jongin, happy enough that I want to do those things with you,” Kyungsoo said, placing both hands on the sides of Jongin’s face.

Jongin took a deep sigh, pulling Kyungsoo closer to him. “It is alright, my love,” was all he said. He sounded like he was hurt but there wasn’t much Kyungsoo could do. He owed it to Jongin to be honest, even if it would hurt him. _Or maybe I do love him_ , he thought. _I know I_ care _, but how do I tell if it’s love?_

Kyungsoo kissed Jongin, trying to appease him. Jongin didn’t resist, but Kyungsoo could almost taste bitter disappointment on Jongin’s tongue. “Don’t be mad at me, please. I’ll try for you. I promise,” Kyungsoo pleaded with Jongin. He couldn’t bear to leave it like that, to just leave him in a limbo.

“Don’t spare my feelings, love. Thank you for being honest,” Jongin said, brushing away the hair on his forehead. Kyungsoo sighed, settling down in Jongin’s arms again. Jongin held him close like he was something precious and Kyungsoo thought that it was so contradicting, when he was the one hurting Jongin rather than vice versa.

 They slept for a few hours until Jongin woke Kyungsoo up at mid afternoon to go foraging with Suho and Minseok. “Don’t wander off, _min kjærlighet_. The forest can be dangerous,” he said to a sleepy Kyungsoo, kissing his forehead before walking through the trees, disappearing into the infinite green. It wasn’t even five minutes when he heard someone rustling about towards his direction, and a large shadow was cast over him.

“Hey.”

Kyungsoo grunted, unwilling to open his eyes.

“Oy.”

“No.”

“Wake up.”

“No.”

Luhan and Baekhyun tipped Kyungsoo over onto the forest floor, grass and weeds in his mouth. “What?” Kyungsoo wailed, spitting out the grass at Baekhyun’s feet. “Ew,” Baekhyun kicked away the grass, skipping away from Kyungsoo when he tried to grab his ankle. “Baby duckling, did you enjoy your little catnap with my brother?” Luhan asked.

“What’s it to you?” Kyungsoo grumbled, getting up to his feet. “Someone’s in a surly mood. We heard you talking to Kai is all, and we just wanted to know what you said to him,” Luhan and Baekhyun looked at him expectantly.

“Nothing much, I sort of broke his heart without meaning to, I guess,” Kyungsoo muttered, pretending to brush away the dirt at his clothes to avoid their gaze. Luhan gave an eep, his feathers clearly ruffled. “What? How?” he asked.

Kyungsoo skirted around the question as best as he could. “Well he knows I can’t stay here forever, so I just made it clear that even though I like him a lot, I can’t… you know,” Kyungsoo shrugged eloquently. “That was not what you said _at_ _all_ , I heard the word consummation in my sleep,” Luhan accused. “Did you deny him?” Luhan asked bluntly without beating about the bush.

“He didn’t exactly offer, Luhan,” Kyungsoo snapped. “Touché,” Baekhyun echoed. “And I don’t see why I should tell the both of you, I don’t even ask you questions like ‘Have you had sex yet with Sehun or Chanyeol?’ Although there’s no real need to ask Baekhyun; he’s always too open about stuff like that,” Kyungsoo said. Baekhyun looked proud of himself.

“Well you can ask us now, and in return you’ll answer our questions,” Luhan said. “I’ll pass,” Kyungsoo said, picking up his rucksack and rummaging through it. He bit into a bun, hard and tasteless but still food nonetheless.

Baekhyun and Luhan looked at each other and exchanged a look. They left Kyungsoo for a moment to grab their own bags, then they sat by Yixing and Jongdae who was sleeping peacefully beneath a shade made of leaves.

“Kyungsoo, come join us,” Yixing said to him, noticing him sitting alone, excluded from the rest. “No, don’t invite him, he’s in a crappy mood. Is that how I use the word? Crappy?” Luhan asked Baekhyun.

Kyungsoo got up, bringing his bag over to sit by Jongdae’s side, purposely avoiding Luhan and Baekhyun. He felt like he was at grade school again, sitting in a clique yet unable to fully blend in. Kyungsoo listened to their conversation quietly, refusing to say much.

“I have _so_ many questions for Jongdae,” Luhan sighed dramatically. “But too bad he’s asleep,” Luhan said, chewing on his jerky. “I am happy to answer any of your questions,” Yixing offered. “I could clear some things with you, and then Jongdae can answer the rest,” Yixing said, patting Jongdae’s arm. Jongdae stirred, but didn’t wake up, turning over on his side.

“Oh, alright then,” Luhan smiled, tucking his feet in. “For starters, can a werewolf or Pureblood turn into a vampire?” Baekhyun gave a questioning glance at Luhan. “What, you wanna turn into a vampire for Sehun?” Baekhyun asked.

“No! It would mean never walking in the sun again,” Luhan retorted. His voice was indignant, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. Kyungsoo could tell he was considering it, as brief as it may be. It was strange how love could make you question things you would never have before you fell in love, but now Kyungsoo understood how Luhan felt, and sympathised with the guy, lunatic as he might be.

“Well, I’ve heard Jongdae mention it. It’s possible I believe. It requires a bit of magic, but it mostly involves blood from the vampire and the er, victim,” Yixing said for lack of better terminology. “What about werewolves? Can a Pureblood change into a werewolf?”

“You know the stories,” Yixing said. “It’s a myth,” he shook his head. Luhan pursed his lips and dropped the subject, moving onto something else. It caught Kyungsoo’s attention however, and he wanted to open his mouth to ask Yixing about it, but then thought better of it. _I’ll ask Yixing when he’s alone_ , he thought. If Baekhyun or Luhan knew how curious he was, he would never hear the end of it; they would bug him until the end of time to turn into a werewolf or until he left Jongin for someone else.

 _Of course, there’s no one else to look at me the way Jongin does_ , Kyungsoo thought, chewing his bun with more force than necessary. No, this was a question to ask in private.  

Jongin, Suho and Minseok soon returned after ten minutes or so, carrying a moose between them. “Did you hunt that?” Kyungsoo croaked, the size of the moose freaking him out more than anything else. _How am I supposed to feel about how Jongin can kill a moose this size?_ he thought, panicked. There wasn’t any arrows involved either; the moose had been maimed and killed with a bash to the head. Blood was dripping everywhere in droplets, ruining the green atmosphere.

 _I hope it died without pain_ , Kyungsoo thought, feeling sick. “I think I need a moment,” Kyungsoo said, getting up and dropping the bun at his feet. There were yellow and black spots in his eyes as he stumbled through the trees, barely able to hold back before he threw up last night’s dinner in a bush in a brown mess. _Must’ve been all the riding_ , he thought to himself, coughing as he felt another wave of nausea hit him dizzily.

“ _Min kjærlighet?_ ” Kyungsoo could hear Jongin coming over. “Oh God, don’t come near me, I’m so disgusting, please don’t—”

“Are you sick?” Jongin asked, panicked. Kyungsoo shook his head, holding onto a tree for support. “I’m just. It’s nothing; I must’ve been riding too long,” Kyungsoo waved a hand when Jongin touched his forehead to check his temperature. “My love, no one gets sick riding a horse,” Jongin said dryly, pulling out a handkerchief from his pocket and wiping Kyungsoo’s mouth.

“I’m from the city, you can’t blame me,” Kyungsoo said, feeling dizzy. Jongin furrowed his eyebrows, pushing Kyungsoo’s head up to look at him. “I’ll see if I can find anything for you,” Jongin muttered, bending over for a moment, surprising Kyungsoo when he swept Kyungsoo up into his arms smoothly. His head spun, but he was well enough to start yelling.

“Fresh hell—Put me down, I’m fine!” Kyungsoo yelled, kicking his legs in the air. He forgot about his sick episode almost at once, shame filling his head and cheeks as Jongin carried him easily, returning to the rest at a rapid pace. _Oh for fuck’s sake, this is so embarrassing, what will Baekhyun and Luhan think—_

Baekhyun nudged Luhan when he saw them coming out of the trees. Luhan made an impatient noise but started sniggering once he saw how Kyungsoo looked tiny in Jongin’s arms. “Jongin, please, put me down,” Kyungsoo whispered, turning away from them to look over Jongin’s shoulder. “You’ll feel much worse if I put you down,” Jongin answered. Kyungsoo thought he sounded like he was enjoying this far too much.

“You’re terrible,” Kyungsoo muttered at him, blushing furiously for the umpteenth time since he came here. Jongin smirked, putting Kyungsoo down beside Yixing. “Are you alright, I heard you getting sick,” Yixing asked, taking one look at Kyungsoo’s waxy complexion but still blushing face. “I think I brought something to ease stomach sickness,” Yixing said, pulling his bag and digging into it. Jongin sat down beside Kyungsoo, letting Kyungsoo place his head on his knee.

“You’re dramatic and I hate you,” Kyungsoo said, bopping Jongin on the nose. He couldn’t say he felt much better with everyone staring at the both of them, curious and fascinated. “I am merely trying to make you feel better,” Jongin said, smiling down at him and patting his face.

Luhan and Baekhyun were practically simpering, pointing and laughing between themselves. Suho and Minseok, luckily, were busy slicing the moose’s body up for a barbeque and so they didn’t look over too much, their hands busy with the task at hand. Yixing abruptly held a small wool bag out triumphantly. “I had a feeling one of you might need it,” Yixing said, pointing at Kyungsoo and Baekhyun cheerfully.

“What’s that?” Kyungsoo asked, straining his neck to look at it. Yixing dug out a little kettle from his bulging backpack, ignoring Kyungsoo. “Can you build a fire?” he asked Jongin.

Jongin nodded, getting up slowly to place Kyungsoo’s head on the ground and hurrying to his backpack to take his little pile of dry sticks from his bag. “We have to build one anyway to cook the food,” he said, picking up little sticks and throwing them together in a pile. Luhan and Baekhyun offered their share of dry sticks from the bags as well, and soon Jongin was turning a little stick vertically on another stick, trying to get it to catch fire.

“Too bad we don’t have lighters,” Kyungsoo muttered. “Makes me wish I picked up smoking,” Baekhyun agreed thoughtfully.

“Smoking is bad, though,” Kyungsoo quipped. “Y’know, I don’t think I need your fixer upper, Yixing, I’m starting to feel much better, what with Jongin’s effort to create a fire just for me,” Kyungsoo said, sitting up gingerly. “Alright. It’s here if you ever need it again though,” Yixing said, putting it back into his bag along with his little kettle.

“Someone’s been cured by loooove,” Luhan sang out loudly. Jongin blushed while Kyungsoo threw bunch of grass and dirt at Luhan. “I am _so_ going to embarrass you like this once you meet—once you fall in love with some poor guy,” Kyungsoo pointed at him. “Words,” Luhan waved a hand.

“Do we even need that much meat?” Kyungsoo asked, looking over at Minseok and Suho who were just about done with slicing the moose up. There wasn’t much left of it now, just skin and bones with flesh clinging to it in bits and pieces. “There are four wolves and three of us,” Baekhyun said to him. “Trust me, they don’t even need to cook some of it, do they?” Baekhyun asked Luhan.

“I suppose, though I don’t like my moose uncooked,” Luhan sniffed. “We shall save some for the trip anyway,” Jongin said, finally able to make some embers appear from the stick. Smoke rose in thin tendrils, and he blew carefully at the embers, letting them float towards the pile of dry sticks.

Almost immediately, it caught fire, crackling and snapping like it was angry at Jongin. “Suho, Minseok. The fire’s ready,” Jongin said to them. “Yes, sire,” Suho said crisply, bringing over a rickety structure made out of long sticks. It was a makeshift spit roast they had built while Kyungsoo and Jongin slept, and Kyungsoo thanked them. It wasn’t necessary for them to build it for the humans in their little group; Kyungsoo bowed slightly at Suho and Minseok.

“No matter, sire,” Minseok said, looking down at his shoes.

*

After their meal (which Kyungsoo barely ate), they gathered their things and woke Jongdae up, to his disgruntlement. The sun had just gone over the horizon and Jongin decided it was as good a time as any to start off early. “Confuse the Europeans a bit,” he said to Kyungsoo with a wink as they prepared their horses.

Kyungsoo got on the horse with much difficulty, but managed to keep his butt on the horse as he let it trot around the trees to wait for the rest. “How far are we?” Baekhyun asked Minseok.

“I’d say we’ve made a good start but there’s still quite a ways to go,” Minseok said, thinking about it. “If the weather stays like this for the rest of the trip we’ll be there in no time, but if the temperature drops,” Minseok shrugged. “The horses won’t be able to go on.”

Kyungsoo prayed he wouldn’t have to walk all the way to Europe and back. Then he glanced at Jongdae and wondered if Jongin would consent to taking a short cut.

Jongin got on his horse, giving Kyungsoo a breezy smile as he came over to him. “My love, are you ready for tonight?”

“If you’re asking me if I’ll get sick again, I hope not,” Kyungsoo replied. He glanced up above the trees, the wind rustling through the leaves above him. “There’s not much of a moon left now,” Kyungsoo noted. Jongin nodded without looking up. “The new moon approaches, yes,” he said, eyeing Kyungsoo somewhat strangely.

“Do you celebrate the new moon in Lycanfort too?” Kyungsoo asked. “No,” Jongin shook his head, blushing for some unknown reason. “We must get on,” he mumbled, turning away from Kyungsoo before he could say anything and calling out to the others.

“Weird,” Kyungsoo said to himself, joining the loose line the others had formed with their horses, following after Suho’s greyish white horse. “Ah, Kyungsoo!” Luhan said, coming up from behind Kyungsoo. “I thought you were up ahead with Jongin,” Kyungsoo frowned, glancing to the front of the line.

“No, I wanted to talk to you. In private,” he said, raising his voice to let Suho hear. Suho subtly moved forward about three feet away from them, leaving them last in line.

“I know you think I’m just a meddling Prince with nothing but fine airs,” Luhan started, and Kyungsoo cut him off. “You are a meddling Prince with not only fine airs but too much sass for anyone to handle,” Kyungsoo added with a smile.

“Whatever. As I was saying, I may look like a very handsome Prince but I have feelings too. I’m not cold and unfeeling, Kyungsoo, and what I wanted to ask is…” Luhan paused.

“Yeah?”

“Do you think it’s wrong to love Sehun?” Kyungsoo made a face at Luhan. “W-Why—Why are you asking me this? I thought you were fine with your feelings about him,” Kyungsoo stuttered.

“I am. I’m at peace with my heart on how I feel, but is it wrong? You know, the myth goes that werewolves and vampires came from Hell and they were two different factions that were constantly rivalling one another,” Luhan smiled to himself. “It makes me wonder if what I feel for Sehun is something everlasting. You are the only one I know who has found love in another person of a different kind, so I thought it fitting to ask you about it,” Luhan said, giving Kyungsoo a shy smile.

“Oh.” Kyungsoo didn’t know what to do with Luhan. “Didn’t Baekhyun say something about how vampires mate for life?” Kyungsoo asked.

“Yes, it’s true. It applies for us werewolves as well but you can only Imprint on someone once you are of age. I haven’t met Sehun since I was a cub, but these—these emotions, they’re still here in my heart. What if he’s not the one for me? Or worse, what if he _is_ the one for me? How are we going to live together?” Luhan’s voice was sullen.  “You mean, you didn’t Imprint on him but you like him?” Kyungsoo said, realizing what Luhan was getting at.

“Yes. It’s never happened before so I wouldn’t know how to go about it. Do you think… Do you think Sehun loves me?” Luhan said, at once vulnerable.

Kyungsoo took his time to answer, not wanting to offend Luhan or imply anything. “If he didn’t have any feelings for you he wouldn’t be writing to you for so many years, right?”

“Well, yes but sometimes the vampires like to mingle with the wolves for the fun of it,” Luhan quipped. “What? Are you serious?”

“Mm. Very rarely the wolves do it with Purebloods as well, but of course it never works out,” Luhan laughed. Kyungsoo’s heart dropped to his stomach. _Did he just say what I think he just said?_

 _Is this what Luhan and Baekhyun wanted to keep from me? To save myself from hurt?_ It stung though, to hear it from Luhan. Kyungsoo glanced at Jongin once again, wondering if everything had been a lie after all.

“ _Min kjærlighet…”_

_“There is nothing I would not give you, my love. Nothing.”_

Kyungsoo felt as if he’d been played. He felt like a fool, not only a fool for Jongin, but a fool for believing that Jongin could love him. _And how I gave myself to him_ , Kyungsoo thought, putting a hand over his mouth as tears spilled out from his eyes. Luckily enough, the forest was too dark now for Luhan to see anything. _Why didn’t Baekhyun just tell me? Why did he string me along and make me think there was a chance with Jongin?_

“Kyungsoo? You were saying?” Luhan said brightly by his side. He wasn’t paying attention to Kyungsoo, only looking ahead.

“Um, right. I just—I don’t know maybe go with what your heart says,” Kyungsoo said, leaning forward on the horse’s neck. He sniffled, trying to hold back a sob that threatened to rip out of his throat. “Why, that’s certainly rich,” Luhan said wonderingly.

 “I’m sorry Luhan, but I must be more tired than I thought,” he mumbled, turning away from Luhan. He didn’t want Luhan to know that he knew now, what his little secret was and how much it affected him.

 _He must’ve let it slip out without realizing_ , Kyungsoo thought, wiping at his nose.

“Oh, how terrible of me to not have noticed. I’ll go on ahead to join Kai now, have some rest,” Luhan patted Kyungsoo’s back briefly before galloping forward on his horse.

“Sire, allow me to take your space in the back. The Master has commissioned me to protect everyone from behind,” Suho said, turning around to speak. “Sorry,” Kyungsoo muttered, stopping his horse to let Suho go around him. He nudged the horse with his shoes to let it move forward again with the rest of the group and leaned forward again, feeling tired and angry.

 _After this, I never want to come back_ , Kyungsoo thought, letting his tears fall easily now that there was no one to see _. Baekhyun’s such an ass for betraying me like this_ , Kyungsoo gritted his teeth just thinking about it. It was one thing to protect your friend from the truth, but when it was this ugly and big, there was no way around it. How could Baekhyun just let it slide? Didn’t he realize how much Kyungsoo loved Jongin?

 _I guess I know what falling in love is like now_ , Kyungsoo thought bitterly. Like falling into the deep end of the pool and never knowing when you’re going to surface. _I can’t believe I almost said I loved him_ , Kyungsoo thought. All that worrying for nothing. Jongin never loved him, and Kyungsoo’s nightmare had come true; no one would ever love him the way he wanted to be loved.

 The ugly cry of a crow suddenly rang out in the forest, jolting everyone to a halt. “Kyungsoo--!” Jongin shouted, getting off of his horse.

Kyungsoo had gotten up, and he turned his head instinctively towards the call of his name. “What—” A hard object hit Kyungsoo, the force large enough to knock him over to the ground. Kyungsoo barely had time to yell or shout when the same hard object picked him up like a flimsy rag doll by the collar and crushed him against the nearest tree, the dry bark pressing into Kyungsoo’s cheek painfully. He felt himself being lifted off the ground by two feet or so, his feet dangling helplessly midair.

“Who is your King?” a voice snarled. Kyungsoo tried to crane his neck around to see who it was, but there was nothing to see, only darkness and a glimpse of white fur before there was a yell and a hard crunching sound. The hard, dark object around his neck disappeared and Kyungsoo fell back to the ground on his hands and knees, pain shooting up his left knee like a sword.

There was a scuffle somewhere behind him, the horses neighing and kicking in the air in panic while someone-- Suho? -- tried to calm them down. “Kyungsoo, are you okay?” Baekhyun voice said somewhere above him. Kyungsoo lifted his head groggily, Baekhyun’s face coming into focus.

“What happened?”

“Did you hear a crow a minute ago? Apparently that’s the signal for some secret assassin vampire team about to attack.” Kyungsoo didn’t know what to say.

 “Oh man, you got cut up real bad. Come on, let’s move aside,” Baekhyun said, picking Kyungsoo up heavily by the arms.

Kyungsoo dragged himself up, turning around to see who or what it was that attacked him. A flash of white fur struggling against a dark lump told Kyungsoo that Jongin probably Phased, and was fighting the thing. “What’re they doing now?” Kyungsoo rasped, feeling pain on his bottom lip. “Kai’s got it handled. Minseok got the other one pretty quickly,” Baekhyun said. Yixing rushed over to them, a small jar in his hand and a wet cloth in the other.

“Let me just apply this to your cut,” he said softly. Kyungsoo sat down in the grass, feeling dazed. Yixing dabbed the cloth over his cheek and lip while Baekhyun touched his limbs to see if there was anything broken. “You’re fine, right? Nothing broken?” Baekhyun said to be sure.

“Dunno, left knee hurts,” Kyungsoo mumbled, touching it and feeling pain there. Yixing applied something that felt like Vaseline over Kyungsoo’s left temple and cheek, the smell of herbs wafting to his nose. “Did I get cut up really bad?” Kyungsoo asked, reaching up a hand to touch his face.

Yixing slapped his hand away. “Don’t touch your cuts!” he said, voice high pitched. “You’ll risk infecting the wound and—Oh, Jongdae’s gone over to help Kai,” Yixing said, glancing at him. The scuffle had died down, and Kyungsoo saw that the dark lump was in the shape of a person lying down on the ground, his legs still twitching.

“Is Jongin okay—” Kyungsoo cut himself off, feeling a cramp in his chest. He’s _not my business anymore_ , he thought. “I think you’re alright. Can you walk or is your knee too weak?” Yixing said, standing back to let Kyungsoo struggle to his feet. He bent his left knee cautiously. “It doesn’t hurt. I guess I just bruised myself,” Kyungsoo said, touching his knee. Only a small spot hurt, but if he didn’t apply pressure it was fine, maybe a little sore, if anything.

“My love, I tried to get to you, I’m so sorry,” he heard a panicked Jongin say before he was hugged rather tightly to Jongin, his body warm. “I’m fine, it’s okay,” Kyungsoo tried to say but Jongin was already looking at his cuts on his face. He winced when Jongin’s fingers hovered over them, and felt him up and down for injuries.

“I didn’t break anything, really, it was just a small fall,” Kyungsoo said, anything to get away from Jongin’s touch. He couldn’t handle it right now, not when he knew his concern didn’t go very far. He doubted Jongin truly cared.

“ _Min kjærlighet,_ forgive me, I should have had you ride behind me,” Jongin said, looking angry at himself. Kyungsoo had to repeat that he was alright and well enough to ride at least three times before Jongin stopped fussing over him. _Don’t pretend you feel anything for me when you don’t_ , Kyungsoo thought crossly, going over to his horse.

Jongdae helped Suho and Minseok to pile the bodies up, dark lumps on top of one another. He had brought matches with him, and he threw a match at the Europeans, lighting their black cloaks on fire. “It’s done. They’ll burn soon enough,” Jongdae said, clapping his hands to dust them off.

“Kyungsoo, ride beside me,” Baekhyun smiled, motioning to the empty spot beside him. “Luhan can ride beside Kai,” he said. Kai kept throwing Kyungsoo worried looks while he got on the horse, looking like he was upset, but Kyungsoo just kept a straight face. It warmed his heart to think that Jongin was worried but he kept telling himself over and over again, it’s not real, it’s not real. _He’s a liar, and I was a fool for believing him, such a stupid fool—_

“Everything alright, Kyungsoo? You look rattled,” Baekhyun said. “’M fine,” Kyungsoo muttered, fiddling with the reins in his hands to avoid looking at Baekhyun. It wasn’t the right time to yell at him, but he would certainly say something to him later, come morning.

“No you’re not. Kyungsoo, seriously, what’s wrong?” Baekhyun insisted. “Nothing,” Kyungsoo insisted right back at him, even though he knew Baekhyun could see through his lie. Baekhyun pouted but caught the hint; he dropped the subject. They rode the rest of the way in silence again, mist settling around them like a blanket.

“Kai?” Jongdae called out at him from the back. Jongin turned around, lifting his eyebrows. “Do you smell it? One of my kind?” he said.

Jongin looked forward again, inhaling deeply. Kyungsoo caught sight of his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down when he swallowed and the words _he’s so beautiful_ flashed in his head, the thought unbidden. _Why is he so good looking?_ Kyungsoo thought, resisting the urge to kick his legs about in frustration. _How do I get over someone as brilliant as you?_

“I’m afraid not, Jongdae. Perhaps the scent is stronger to you?” Jongin called back. “Perhaps, but unlikely. Be on your guard, Kai. The smell of magic is strong here,” Jongdae replied, looking around at the looming trees. Kyungsoo couldn’t smell or feel anything, but he hoped he wouldn’t be attacked again.

Jongin seemed to have the same thing in mind, because he stiffened, and he turned to make sure that Kyungsoo was behind him. “Do not worry, my love,” he said to Kyungsoo. _It’s a nice gesture but you really don’t have to_ , Kyungsoo said in his mind. A week suddenly sounded like a long time.

It was hours before there was another vampire attack. The vampire had no subtlety at all, and tried to attack Luhan headfirst by jumping into the air, squealing all the while. Luhan fought him off viciously, throwing him off his horse in an instant. He aimed an arrow at it before the vampire could get up, and shot it through its head, blood spurting onto his horse’s legs and the trees around. It slumped down, lifeless.

“Ew,” Baekhyun commented. “Have you a match?” Jongin asked Jongdae. “On to it,” Jongdae replied, shaking the box in his hands. He got off his horse, walking towards the vampire’s body. Jongdae stepped on its back, picking up its arms and pulling them off like sticks. There was more blood, and Kyungsoo had to look away when Jongdae beheaded it, the sound sickening him to the core.

“How can you do that to one of your own kind?” Kyungsoo asked Jongdae when he was done, parts of the body littering the ground at his feet. “All of the Europeans are scum, Kyungsoo. I can’t say I feel sorry for them,” Jongdae said coldly. He flicked a lit match at the pile of body parts, and they lit up easily, the smell of burning wood and cigarette smoke floating up towards the night sky.

“Are there anymore out there?” Luhan said. “None in the area, no. They’re all ordinary vampires, just looking for a meal. They’ve set up a protective spell here but it’s gone now,” Jongdae replied, tucking the matches back into his pocket.

  “Is the European King testing us?” Jongin asked, tone curt.

“Testing? No,” Jongdae laughed, walking back to his horse. “He’s having fun.”

*

When dawn came Kyungsoo was decidedly tetchy, saying nothing to either Luhan or Baekhyun the entire leg of the trip. Baekhyun gave up when he started teasing Kyungsoo and Jongin about sex again but Kyungsoo ignored him, humming Fancy to himself.

“Let’s stop here for now,” Jongin had said when the sun came up, and lethargy took over Jongdae like a drug. He slumped forward on the horse and Yixing hurriedly threw a cloth over him to protect him from the sun.

“Great,” Kyungsoo muttered, getting off the horse and petting it absently. “ _Min kjærlighet,_ give me a moment to water the horses and we can nap together in a while,” Jongin whispered to him, putting a hand on Kyungsoo’s shoulder. “I’m um. I’m not in the mood to sleep actually,” Kyungsoo said, avoiding Jongin. Jongin blinked and stepped back, taking his hand away.

“Forgive me, _min kjærlighet_ , if I’ve done something wrong—”

“You didn’t, Jongin, I. It’s me, okay? I don’t—I don’t feel okay,” Kyungsoo said, and realized when he finished his sentence that it was the wrong thing to say. Jongin was concerned at once, reaching for Kyungsoo’s hands. He pulled them away, putting his hands behind his back. “Are you sick? Is there pain somewhere?” Jongin asked, noticing that Kyungsoo didn’t let him touch him like usual.

“You can tell me if something’s wrong,” Jongin said, voice dropping low. “It’s just—Do you…” Kyungsoo stopped, wondering if Jongin thought all of this was just a joke. Kyungsoo could feel tears in his eyes, but he held them back. “Do I?” Jongin echoed, stepping forward.

“No, don’t come near me, please, it hurts,” Kyungsoo said, holding his hands out. “What’s wrong, _min kjærlighet_? Did the vampire upset you in some way? Tell me,” Jongin pleaded, touching Kyungsoo’s hands.

“Do I really mean something to you, Jongin? Do I?” Kyungsoo asked, trying to pull his hands away from Jongin. Jongin held onto his hands, linking their fingers together.

“Of course you mean something to me. You’re my world, _min kjærlighet_. My sun and moon,” Jongin said, pulling Kyungsoo close.

“I’m nothing to you, aren’t I? Luhan told me what you guys do sometimes; you like to play around with humans, don’t you?” Kyungsoo said, trying desperately not to cry but failing miserably. Hot tears rolled down his face, burning his cuts.

“What did Luhan say?” Jongin asked, sounding surprised and maybe a bit angry _. Is he angry that Luhan revealed his secret?_ Kyungsoo thought. “What Luhan said happened a long time ago, my love, when the Portal was open to anyone. Won’t you believe what I say?” Jongin said, putting his hands under Kyungsoo’s chin and lifting his face up.

“You’re my first, Jongin,” Kyungsoo said, looking down. “And I never knew how much it could hurt to fall in love,” he said, sniffling.

“My love, I don’t understand,” Jongin said, wiping Kyungsoo’s tears away. “Did you— Did you build me up just to break me, Jongin? Or Kai. Maybe you don’t love me enough to let me use your real name,” Kyungsoo said, looking away from Jongin’s eyes. He felt hysterical for saying all this, but what was the point of hiding his disappointment from Jongin?

“What is this, Kyungsoo? I thought we were fine. I’ve always loved you from the very start,” Jongin said, breaking Kyungsoo’s heart into tiny pieces.

“Do you think that is what Luhan and I have been keeping from you?” Jongin asked, sounding defeated now. “He said that some werewolves like to play with humans. That’s what you’re doing to me, isn’t it?” Kyungsoo asked, even though he didn’t want to believe it, didn’t want the confirmation from Jongin himself.

“I knew that we might not have lasted because you’re a Pureblood but… I didn’t think it would be like this,” Jongin said forlornly. It sounded like he was admitting to it, that he was confirming what he believed; Jongin never really loved him.

“How long were you planning on letting me think you were in love with me? Until you slept with me?” Kyungsoo asked, hiccupping. Jongin shook his head, putting a hand to his forehead.

“I thought you’d say no,” Kyungsoo said, wiping his tears. “But that’s just another lie, isn’t it?” Kyungsoo said, leaning against a tree. “Oh, how I fell for it, Kai, your bed of lies. A thousand count and not a single thread of truth,” Kyungsoo sighed, almost laughing at himself.   

 “Don’t call me Kai, _min kjærlighet_ , it’s not for you,” Jongin said, looking up with red eyes. “Well I’m sorry _Master_. That was rude of me and it won’t happen again,” Kyungsoo sneered and walked away.

“No, Kyungsoo, there’s something else I need to say—”

“I know. You love me? Yeah, I got it,” Kyungsoo said, picking up his backpack and hugging it to his chest as if it would hold back the pain blooming beneath his ribcage, something painful like heartbreak.

 Luhan saw them go in separate ways and lifted an eyebrow. They were just fine yesterday morning and now they were fighting? He went over to Kyungsoo, chewing on his jerky.

“What just happened?” Luhan asked, sitting next to Kyungsoo. His face was red and blotchy, but there no tears, just a lot of grief on his face.

“He told me, okay? He told me, Luhan. He told me _everything_ ,” Kyungsoo snapped. Luhan stopped. Kai told him _everything_?

“Oh. Then you know the truth now?” Luhan asked. “Yes. He doesn’t love me for who I am and he’s a piece of crap,” Kyungsoo stated, putting his chin on his backpack. Luhan glanced over at Jongin who sitting by a tree several feet away, inhumanly still. Luhan could hear Kai crying faintly like the last time Kyungsoo left, but decided not to say.

“That’s um, a little harsh to say about us and our ways, Kyungsoo, can’t you find it in your heart to accept Kai?”

“Who could accept a partner who would whore around and break your heart?” Kyungsoo said. “Er, I understand that he is exceptionally handsome but he would not ‘whore around’, Kyungsoo, he’s my brother and I know him—”

“Spare me the sales pitch, Luhan. It’s done now. He doesn’t love me and that’s the end of it. I hope you’re happy,” Kyungsoo said contemptuously. Luhan raised his eyebrows.

“What do you mean, Kai doesn’t love you? He’s crying over there in the trees like a little girl because you just had a fight with him, and he doesn’t even do that with me,” Luhan said.

“I don’t care! He’s crying because he got caught,” Kyungsoo shouted, hoping Jongin would hear him. More tears spilled out when he realized that he’d made Jongin cry too, but he deserved it, the stupid bastard--

“Got caught at _what_?! Oh my goodness, Kyungsoo, HE’S YOUR MATE FOR FUCK’S SAKE,” Luhan said, fuming now. Kyungsoo stopped crying then, and looked up at Luhan.

“What mate? Like Australian for ‘friend’?” Kyungsoo asked. Baekhyun caught what Luhan shouted and he scrambled over.

“I told you not to say that unless you’re really angry,” Baekhyun hissed. Then he glanced down at Kyungsoo.

“Wait, are we doing the thing right now? You didn’t tell me this,” Baekhyun accused Luhan. “He fought with my brother because Kai revealed they’re mates! I don’t know how to deal with this,” Luhan threw his hand up in the air, getting up and going off into Jongin’s direction.

“Ahaha, did um, did Kai really uh, say that?” Baekhyun asked nervously, sitting down on the ground. “No. What is Luhan getting at?” Kyungsoo asked.

“Well um. Remember when we first came?” Baekhyun said. Kyungsoo nodded.

“And er, you were passed out and everything right? So you didn’t hear what Kai said to you when you were passed out?” Baekhyun said, wringing his hands. “I was passed out,” Kyungsoo deadpanned.

“He might’ve mentioned to me that you were like, his um, I don’t know, like his soul mate,” Baekhyun squeaked.

Kyungsoo snorted. “Sure he did, ‘cause he wanted to sleep with me.”

“Um no, you don’t get it, Kyungsoo, he doesn’t just want to sleep with you, he wants to do _everything_ with you, like go shopping and riding on his horse and all that jazz. You can ask him, he’s right there, crying like a baby,” Baekhyun pointed, but Kyungsoo refused to look.

“Okay, okay, let me try this another way. What do you think of Kai?” Baekhyun asked.

“Shittiest person alive right now. Why?” Kyungsoo said.

“Look, didn’t you say you liked him and all? What’s wrong with him being your mate, he’s not that bad looking and he’s all over you all the time,” Baekhyun said, feeling desperate now. Even Yixing, Minseok and Suho had already gone to sleep; Baekhyun had no other way to support what he was trying to say unless Luhan came over.

“He’s playing me, Baekhyun. I know that’s what you wanted to keep from me, right? _You_ are the second shittiest person alive to me right now,” Kyungsoo said. Baekhyun almost laughed.

“Playing you? You think he’s playing with you? I tap your arm once and he growls at me ‘cause he’s fucking jealous, Kyungsoo, what else do you want me to say? He’s your mate and he wanted to tell you that himself.”

 “Huh?” Kyungsoo said confusedly.

“Oh God,” Baekhyun moaned. “Okay, attempt number two. We’ll put our facts down on the table right now. The secret that Luhan and I wanted to keep from you?” Kyungsoo lifted an eyebrow. “It’s the fact that Kai’s your mate. Your turn.”

“It’s not—he’s not a player?” Kyungsoo asked.

“No. He told me that he’d been watching us for a year on our walks, Kyungsoo. He’s loved you since the day he saw you,” Baekhyun said, shaking his head.

“B-b-but Luhan said that werewolves like to play with humans,” Kyungsoo said, feeling very confused yet enlightened all at once.

“Ah, yeah, if you mean the Tainted ones. But Kai’s not Tainted, he’s not anything, Kyungsoo, he’s just…” Baekhyun looked over at Kai’s shuddering shoulders. “He’s just in love with you.”

“Then I made him cry for nothing?” Kyungsoo turned around to look Luhan hugging Jongin, and Luhan gave him the evils.

“Yeah, but what do you care, you make me cry all the time whenever you hit me.” Kyungsoo threw a stick at him.

“Byun Baekhyun, you’re not lying to me right now, are you?” Kyungsoo said, getting up.

“Honest to God. Ask everyone, Kyungsoo, if you don’t believe me. It’s kind of a big thing here when the King finds his mate,” Baekhyun shrugged.

 _Oh God. Jongin is my_ mate? All those strange moments where everyone seemed to hold their tongue in front of Kyungsoo…

_“Didn’t Baekhyun say something about how vampires mate for life?” Kyungsoo asked._

_“Yes, it’s true. It applies for us werewolves as well but you can only Imprint on someone once you are of age…”_

“Oh my God, then I have to apologize to him,” Kyungsoo said, stumbling to his feet. “Huh, if it were me you would need a whole lot more than apologizing—” Baekhyun shut up when Kyungsoo picked up a stone menacingly.

“Jongin?” Kyungsoo said softly, feeling inexplicably nervous. Luhan let out an exhale through his nose, giving Kyungsoo an overall dirty look.

“My love?” Jongin said, looking up at him. Tear tracks ran down his face, crippling Kyungsoo’s heart for a moment. “Leave us, brother,” Jongin said, his voice hopeful. “I’m one word away from killing you,” Luhan hissed at Kyungsoo.

Kyungsoo tutted at Luhan, swatting at him.

Kyungsoo dropped down to his knees, glancing at Baekhyun for support. Baekhyun gave him a thumbs up, smiling at him while Luhan scowled angrily by his side.

“Baekhyun told me something important about us, and I. I’m sorry about everything I said just now, Luhan just confused me and I thought you didn’t love me, that what we had wasn’t real after all—”

“That wasn’t what I was feeling grief about, my love,” Jongin said, breathing heavily. He lifted a cautious hand to Kyungsoo’s face and Kyungsoo took it, kissing his palm.

“You didn’t believe me anymore, I could see it in your eyes that you truly believed I felt nothing for you when in truth, my love, I’ve always loved you. You are the only one I’ve ever loved for so many years, and I didn’t know how to Claim you when you were so far away, the only star shining day and night for me. We were worlds apart, but when you entered the Portal, my love, I knew we were made to be.

 “Why? Why didn’t you believe what I said, my love? Have I—Have I not made myself clear somehow? Did you not know my emotions for you?” Jongin swallowed thickly. Kyungsoo’s tears flowed silently as he closed his eyes. _I know I’ve failed you, Jongin, I know_ , he thought, wiping his damned tears away. “You make me so emotional, Jongin, it’s too much,” Kyungsoo sniffed.

“And what do you mean, you’ve loved me for years? Oh, you mean here,” Kyungsoo said. “Yes. I first saw you when I was twenty one years of age. I’m—”

“Yeah, in your fifties now. You’re old, you know,” Kyungsoo laughed. “I am still considered young in my world,” Jongin frowned, placing a hand around Kyungsoo’s neck. “I’m only twenty, Jongin. I’m just a foetus compared to you,” Kyungsoo whispered, placing his forehead on Jongin’s.

“It doesn’t mean anything to me. You are the world to me, my love. Never doubt that,” Jongin said, letting Kyungsoo fall into his arms. “But I don’t know how to be yours, Jongin. You know, this doesn’t happen with Purebloods. People fall in and out of love so easily…” Kyungsoo said, placing a hand above Jongin’s heart.

“You don’t have to be anything, my love,” Jongin said, kissing Kyungsoo ever so gently. “I want to believe you, Jongin, I do, but it’s so difficult for me when this never happens in my world. I don’t know why I keep fucking up when clearly you—you love me but it’s just hard to believe,” Kyungsoo said, feeling tears his eyes again because it was true. There was no everlasting love in his town, no forever but teenage love like fire, burning bright and then dying out, turning to ashes within mere minutes. He had only seen the calculative games that the older adults would play.

“Luhan said something about Imprinting. Is this it? Are you Imprinting on me?” Kyungsoo asked, wiping his tears away.

“Imprint happened when I first laid eyes on you and I knew you were the one for me,” Jongin said gently. Kyungsoo kissed him, feeling like his heart was being torn into two because he just felt so immensely thankful that he had found love, that Jongin completed him in ways that words couldn’t convey and another part still insisted that this was too good to be true, that Do Kyungsoo made Jongin, the King of Lycanfort happy, was just too impossible to believe.

“I don’t know why my heart hurts but I think I love you, Jongin,” Kyungsoo said, looking away to wipe his tears.

“Don’t cry, _min kjærlighet_ , a life of tears and sorrow was not what I intended for you. I wanted to make you happy, and I wanted to see you smile in my castle every day, every morning when I wake up,” Jongin said. “They say finding your mate is a happy affair, my love,” Jongin said, hugging Kyungsoo to himself.

 “I am happy, Jongin, I am. I’m sorry that I hurt you when I said those things. I’m sorry that I left you and hurt you again, and I’m sorry that you waited so long for me. I’m sorry I didn’t want to believe in your love,” Kyungsoo cried, tears soaking into Jongin’s clothes.

“I know it was out of responsibility, my love. Don’t feel the need to put me first,” Jongin said, breathing in Kyungsoo’s scent. He said it without any hidden expectations, without sounding needy. He understood completely that Kyungsoo didn’t belong in his world, but quietly hoped that one day they could be together with no regrets, that he could spend eternity with Kyungsoo in his arms.

“We should sleep now,” Jongin said, cupping Kyungsoo’s face in his hands. “You’re beautiful even when you cry, my love, but I prefer to see you smile,” Jongin said with a tired smile. Kyungsoo laughed, pulling Jongin up in his hands.

“They made up. Bet’s back on, sucker!” Kyungsoo heard Baekhyun say. He rolled his eyes. “I want to sleep with you, if you don’t mind,” Kyungsoo blurted. “I mean I could always bunk in with Baekhyun—”

“I wouldn’t sleep any other way, _min kjærlighet_ ,” Jongin said, taking his hand and tugging him over to a nice and shady spot, spreading out his skins’ and laying down on the ground, patting it to let Kyungsoo lie down beside him. “Wait, I’ll get my skins,” Kyungsoo said, doubling back to Baekhyun’s direction.

“Make me happy, Kyungsoo. Get down and dirty already and do yourself a favour too,” Baekhyun said, already guessing what he wanted and throwing the roll of skins’ at Kyungsoo. “We just made up, I’m not gonna do the do with him,” Kyungsoo retorted, walking away.

Baekhyun and Luhan glanced at each other. “He hasn’t told him that part yet, it seems.” Luhan arched an eyebrow wickedly at Kyungsoo’s direction.

“Oh boy,” Baekhyun said under his breath. “He’s really going to kill me this time when he finds out.”  

Kyungsoo laid down beside Jongin, cuddling close to him. Jongin drew an arm around him, eyes a bit puffy from his tears, but otherwise alright. “I thought I’d lost your trust just now,” Jongin murmured. Kyungsoo gurgled. “I’m still sorry you know, and I swear I’ll make it up to you in some way,” he said, pecking Jongin on the lips.

“Tell me something first before we go to sleep,” Kyungsoo said, leaning on Jongin’s shoulder.

“When I was here for the first time, and there was that big festival with everyone celebrating… Was it for me?” Kyungsoo asked. Jongin blushed, looking up at the blue sky.

“Maybe.”

“Oh my God. I even let you bring me there, and I got drunk there for the first time,” Kyungsoo said, horrified that he practically attended his own wedding without realizing it. “It was tradition, my love, I couldn’t tell my people to cease the celebration. Besides...” Jongin said, turning Kyungsoo’s face to his own to look into his eyes. “It was that day when I first kissed you.”

“I like to think I was under the influence of alcohol when that happened,” Kyungsoo said, blushing. He hated thinking that maybe Jongin thought of him as a tart or something for letting Jongin kiss him so easily. “You didn’t even stop me from drinking all that cider,” Kyungsoo accused, thumping Jongin on the chest lightly. Jongin laughed to himself.

“It made you much more compliant to me, yes,” Jongin smiled cheekily, ruffling Kyungsoo’s hair. “Why? Did you think I was difficult? I’d already liked you back then. You were really…y’know, good looking and all,” Kyungsoo said, his blush flaring up again.

“I’m glad you think so,” Jongin said wryly. “You weren’t difficult, my love, no, just… I felt like I’d already known you for years, but you were just starting to get to know me. If I made the wrong move, would I chase you away? Or if I kept my affections to myself, would you be willing to stay?”

“It wasn’t that complicated,” Kyungsoo said. “I think I would’ve let you kiss me from the moment we met,” Kyungsoo confessed, playing with Jongin’s fingers. His hands were calloused, probably from holding onto the horse reins for many years. Rough they might be, but Jongin’s hands were still gentle with Kyungsoo.

“So does everyone know? About us?” Kyungsoo asked. Jongin hummed in reply. “How did you get everyone to shut up though?”

“It is not their place to say when I haven’t Claimed you,” Jongin said huskily. “Also, word spread that you were unconscious when you arrived. It was natural to assume that you didn’t know,” Jongin said, closing his eyes, placing one hand over Kyungsoo’s eyes to block out the sunlight.

Kyungsoo closed his eyes as well, his body relaxing with ease. “Is it because they don’t smell me on you?” Kyungsoo asked. Jongin nodded once. “Well I think that’s enough, so I’ll let you sleep for now,” Kyungsoo mumbled. He listened to Jongin breathe, his chest rising and falling, slowing down significantly.

“I love you. I promise I’ll be better this time,” Kyungsoo whispered, kissing Jongin on his cheek.

*

Kyungsoo woke up when Jongin jostled him in his sleep. It was already dark, the stars twinkling in the sky. “How long did we sleep?” he asked. “Only a few hours. The sun went down earlier than usual,” he replied. “Come, my love. We’re almost reaching Europe; I can smell the stench of the Europeans,” he said, holding out his arms to pull Kyungsoo up. “Nnnrgh,” Kyungsoo groaned, gripping Jongin’s arms and letting himself be pulled up.

“I don’t get how you can smell anything, all I smell is grass to be honest,” Kyungsoo said, rolling up his skins and trudging towards his backpack where Luhan and Baekhyun dozed under a tree, a dried leaf on Luhan’s chest. “I shall retrieve the horses,” Jongin said to Kyungsoo and he nodded.

Kyungsoo tugged his backpack away from them and woke Luhan up in the process, sitting up like a wind up doll with messed up hair. “Your hair looks like a bird’s nest,” Kyungsoo said matter-of-factly to Luhan. “Can’t meet Sehun like this,” he said, rubbing his hair down. They hadn’t showered in two days, and Kyungsoo was starting to smell, and so were the rest of the company.

If he moved his arms a certain way, he could sniff out a pong coming from himself, and Kyungsoo decided to avoid contact with Jongin now, in case he turned Jongin off with his own body odour _. It’s one thing to smell but to hang out with Jongin while smelling like this is just short of horrifying_ , Kyungsoo mused, shoving his skins back into his bag and taking a swig of water.

 _I wonder if Jongdae smells_ , Kyungsoo thought, looking over at him. He was awake as well, sipping something from a tiny shot glass. It was dark in colour and it didn’t take much guessing to see that it was blood. _But who is it from?_ Kyungsoo asked himself.

 _And I still haven’t asked Yixing about the myth yet_ , Kyungsoo thought, cursing under his breath. It was easier said than done; how was he going to get away from Jongin long enough to ask Yixing about it? _Or I could ask Jongin_ , Kyungsoo lifted an eyebrow when he came over with all the horses.

“Alright gents, the plan is to reach Europe by the time the Sun rises again. Jongdae, could you maybe give us a warning of some sort?” Jongin asked. “Well, we haven’t passed the river, so we’re not quite in Europe just yet. Once we’ve reached the river, we’ll have to keep our eyes open. It was somewhere near the river, wasn’t it, Suho, when you were attacked?”

Suho nodded grimly. “Some of the poorer Europeans live there. It’s no surprise you were attacked, and it’s damned likely we will be as well,” Jongdae said.

“We’ll need fire then,” Jongin said firmly. “Ah, yes. And stakes, though it is strange to admit my weaknesses to you lot,” Jongdae replied dryly. “We appreciate your help, Jongdae, and you shall be rewarded once this mission is done,” Jongin promised, getting onto his horse.

“I’m not looking for a reward,” Jongdae lifted an eyebrow. “Then I will forever be in your debt,” Jongin said, holding out his arms. “I’ll hold you to that,” Jongdae winked. They scattered and returned to their horses, ready to move on.

“Do you still have supplies?” Jongin asked Kyungsoo. He nodded. “I haven’t eaten much of it. I’m just tired,” he laughed weakly. Jongin looked solemn when he said, “It’s the vampires’ spell, my love. They use their magic to weigh down Purebloods mentally. It will get worse as we approach Europe but I will endeavour to keep you safe.”

 “I’ll be fine but if you think so,” Kyungsoo said, lying forward on his horse to continue sleeping. Magic spell or not, he was starting to feel woozy and drowsy. Besides, the forest was quiet except for them…

 

“My love?” Jongin said in Kyungsoo’s ear. Kyungsoo popped open one eye to look at Jongin. “Yeah?”

“We’ve reached the river and it’s time to enter the Portal,” Jongin said gently. There was a glowing light behind him and Kyungsoo squinted to look at it. At first he thought he was looking at a very strangely shaped television of some sort, displaying lots of grass and Suho on his horse, but then he realized it was floating over a rushing river, water skipping over rocks and crevices.

“Is that a Portal?” Kyungsoo asked. “Yes. You’re last, my love, along with Baekhyun. Yixing already had some help from Jongdae to cross, and they’re all falling asleep as well,” Jongin said.

“Oh. Let’s go then. Do I have to get off?” Kyungsoo asked, sitting up. His lower back ached painfully but he ignored it. “No, but you will feel a jolt, so hold on to the reins,” Jongin forewarned. Kyungsoo gripped the dry leather in his hands, turning around to look at Baekhyun.

Baekhyun had one eye open and the other eye closed, though his open eye was glazed over. Kyungsoo suspected he was already asleep from his swaying figure and said as much to Jongin.

“He’ll wake up once we cross the Portal,” Jongin replied. He went over to Baekhyun’s horse to guide through the Portal. “Go on,” he urged to Kyungsoo. Digging his shoes into his horse’s ribs, the horse trotted forward and into the Portal. As Jongin said, there was a jolt and the horse did a little jump, landing on soft grass on the other side. The guys were looking at him with rather smug smiles on their faces, and it made Kyungsoo wonder if Luhan had somehow announced something to them.

Jongin came through the Portal, the glow around the magical doorway lighting up behind him like a halo. _He’s my mate_ , Kyungsoo thought, savouring the words in his head. _I’m a Pureblood but somehow, he’s mine._ Baekhyun and his horse came barging through the Portal, Baekhyun almost toppling over with a yell.

“Nobody woke me up! Why?!” he shouted, barely hanging on to the horse by the reins. Jongin pushed him back up onto his seat while laughing. It was the first time Kyungsoo had seen him communicate with Baekhyun in any way. In any case, it was heartening to see that Jongin had finally warmed up to Baekhyun. Probably ‘cause he thinks I’m staying, Kyungsoo thought guiltily. That was something he had yet to iron out with Jongin properly.

“So we’re officially out of Lycanfort and in Europe now?” Baekhyun asked Luhan. Luhan nodded brightly. Kyungsoo knew why he was so cheery about it, but the rest of them looked rather uneasy about being on vampire territory. “Keep your hand to the level of your eyes,” Jongdae said. “I’ll try to warn you guys but it won’t be much use. They mask their presence very well.”

Jongin swung himself up on his horse, waving Kyungsoo over. “Ride with me,” he smiled, and Kyungsoo couldn’t resist blushing and holding his hand just for a second, to touch Jongin. There was a sense of elation to know that this man, who looked so refined yet wild, innocent and yet teasing, was in love with him.

They rode on, this time on European soil. The grass was thick and high in some places, and the wind was much colder with fewer trees to block the cold air. There were many fallen trees; some appeared as if they’d been broken in the middle like a measly twig. “Sometimes fights happen here,” Jongdae explained. “Some between werewolves, and some between the Europeans themselves. After all, it’s a quiet place here with nobody around to see the evidence,” Jongdae said.

A wave of lethargy swept through Kyungsoo abruptly and strongly, almost as if something just passed through his body, making his limbs feel heavy. His vision swam in shades of grey and black, the horses in front of him disappearing and appearing in front of him. “ _Min kjærlighet_?” Jongin’s voice echoed loudly.

“Yeah?” Kyungsoo said, shaking his head. “Are you okay?” Jongin asked, putting a hand on his shoulder. Kyungsoo nodded. “I’m fine I just need to… need to…” What was it that he needed to do? Something about Chanyeol…

He felt his head spin crazily once more, but this time Jongin caught him in his arms, and he felt himself being pulled towards Jongin, legs hanging over the side of the horse. “What’s happening, why’re you pullin’ me?” Kyungsoo slurred, holding onto Jongin’s arm. He felt like he was drunk all over again, except that this time there was no internal warmth in his chest, only Jongin’s burning hands on his face. “ _Min kjærlighet_ , you are cold. Your companion and Yixing is no better,” Jongin said, worried.

“Is it the spell you were saying?”

“Mm. Sleep, my love. I’ll put the bags on your horse,” Kyungsoo felt Jongin tug at his bag straps and he let Jongin manhandle him. “Jongin, I love you, I really do,” Kyungsoo said, struggling to keep his eyes open.

“This is unlike you,” Jongin observed. “Y’know, just in case I don’t wake up from this dream,” he muttered. He could feel Jongin laughing silently, his chest rumbling. “I will always be there to wake you up, my love.”

*

It took a lot of shaking for Kyungsoo to wake up from his lethargic sleep. Jongin was whispering his name fervently, his whole body jolted rudely awake. “What?” Kyungsoo murmured, putting his arms out around where he thought Jongin’s shoulders would be. He found Jongin’s neck and pulled himself up, leaning on his shoulder.

“Oh thank goodness, _min kjærlighet,_ I thought I lost you,” Jongin exclaimed, sighing a deep breath of relief. “We’re in the heart of Europe now,” he said, and that woke Kyungsoo up like a shot of adrenaline.

“Where’s Chanyeol?” he said, opening his eyes. The Sun was about to come out, the sky lined with streaks of orange. “We’re not at the castle yet,” Jongin said, placing a protective arm around Kyungsoo. “You can look around, there are no Europeans to see,” he whispered.

So Kyungsoo did, and he was surprised to find that Europe was rather modern, looking a lot like the Europe back home that he’d seen on TV. There were bell towers and ten storey buildings made out of bricks and stone, statues and stone angels in empty town squares… It was a whole new side of civilisation in this world to Kyungsoo. But it was strange to Kyungsoo, to see such a beautiful town with not a single person in town, not a soul moving across the land except for them.

He also noticed that Yixing and Baekhyun were still slumped over, since no one woke them up. Suho and Minseok rode beside them, presumably to protect them.

“It’s beautiful,” Kyungsoo breathed. “It is, isn’t it? It’s very different from your world,” Jongin said.

“Not really, there’s Europe back home too. I think it kind of looks like this too. Maybe the vampires wanted to copy the real Europe?” Jongin shrugged.

“Who’s to say this Europe isn’t the original Europe? Vampires have been known to travel to many worlds through visions, gaining knowledge of other worlds to enhance their own. Perhaps the Tainted ones in your world may have left a mark that the Purebloods failed to see,” Jongin smiled, giving Kyungsoo a spontaneous kiss.

“You still look sleepy,” he said, breathing in Kyungsoo’s scent. “Don’t I stink? I haven’t showered in a while,” Kyungsoo squirmed away from Jongin. Jongin shook his head.

“When are we going to see the King?” Kyungsoo asked, stealing a glance behind Jongin and realizing there was no one behind them. He returned Jongin’s kiss, kissing him deeply until he couldn’t breathe. “Tonight,” Jongin replied, holding Kyungsoo close. “Then by after tonight we can relax and pay attention to ourselves,” Kyungsoo said, putting his hands on Jongin’s face.

“Yes, my love. We’ll have all the time in the world to—” he stopped, looking ahead with a stoic face.

“What’s wrong?” Kyungsoo laughed at Jongin’s expression, it was comical almost, to actually see Jongin looking afraid of something. He started to turn, but then Jongin pulled him back around. “My love, this will upset you,” he frowned, furrowing his eyebrows.

“What is it? Just let me see,” Kyungsoo insisted, twisting his head around. He had expected maybe a crude joke of some sort by the vampires, maybe something to do with Purebloods, but Kyungsoo could hardly believe it when he saw the largest structure made out of black metal, a pole rising up to about fifty feet in the air and curving downwards towards the top, a cage hanging down.

It looked like a bird cage large enough to fit a small dragon maybe, if they existed, but Kyungsoo could see something at the side of the cage hanging out. It was an arm, belonging to a person in the large bird cage. Blood dripped down from the person’s arm down to the ground, little droplets dotting the road ahead. Whoever it was had been draining blood for _days_ ; the drops of blood decorated the ground like a starry sky.

The person turned his head to look at them, and it filled Kyungsoo with dread somehow, the way the person turned his head. He had seen that motion many times, and it could’ve been anyone trapped up there, any other Pureblood in the world, but the way the person’s muscles moved in his neck… He could see who it was, without having to come any closer to the cage. It was Chanyeol, dripping blood down to the dusty European road.

“CHANYEOL!” Kyungsoo screamed. It was loud enough to echo through the empty streets of Europe, loud enough to reach Chanyeol’s ears fifty feet up in the air. His eyes were glazed over, face covered in cuts and welts. He lifted himself up slightly, and the cage leaned precariously into his direction, tipping it over.

“Stop, you’ll fall out!” Kyungsoo shouted, scrambling off the horse. There was no use, he knew, because he couldn’t scale the smooth pole and nobody could jump that high. He waved and shouted at Chanyeol, desperate for recognition in his friend’s eyes.

“Kyungsoo,” Chanyeol mouthed feebly. He put his head between the bars, one of his shoulders fitting through. “Help me,” he said weakly. Kyungsoo heard as clear as a gunshot in his ears.

 “Don’t wake Baekhyun up,” Kyungsoo said, spotting Minseok reaching for Baekhyun. “He doesn’t deserve to see this,” Kyungsoo swallowed thickly.

“Can you get him down? Can you help him?” Kyungsoo asked Jongin, who answered with a disappointed shake of the head. He had gotten off the horse as did Suho, Luhan and Minseok.   _The King must’ve thought this out_ , Kyungsoo thought. He had built the prison for Chanyeol as a message to Jongin; he knew Chanyeol meant something to Jongin, even if he didn’t quite know why. Of course, he had twisted the knife into the wound nicely by putting Chanyeol up in the air like a bag of blood.

“Jongin, you have to get him down,” Kyungsoo said, feeling panic rising in his chest. Jongin sensed the tension in Kyungsoo and touched his face, trying to calm him down. “ _Min kjærlighet_ , you know I would do anything for you but there is nothing I can do here, my love. Our only chance is to wait for Jongdae to wake up when the Sun goes down, or to negotiate with the King himself,” Jongin said to Kyungsoo softly.

“But he’s up there, waiting for us to help, how can I wait for the Sun to go down, Jongin? How?” Kyungsoo wailed, close to tears.

 _I can’t keep crying over things like this_ , Kyungsoo thought, angry at his situation, angry that he got Chanyeol in trouble, angry that that fucking vampire kidnapped Chanyeol in the first place. He took a deep shaky breath, and held onto Jongin’s arms, willing his heartbeat to calm.

“I-I’m sorry,” Kyungsoo said to Jongin.

“ _Min kjærlighet_?”

“I can’t keep getting emotional like this, I’ll kill myself by the time this is all over and—” he exhaled through his mouth and glanced up again, Chanyeol’s arm hanging down towards him, blood dripping down like rain. Jongin peered at him cautiously.

“We’ll just have to wait, don’t we?” Kyungsoo asked. Jongin nodded, eyes fearful, as if he was expecting something else from Kyungsoo. “ _Min kjærlighet,_ forgive me for disappointing you, if there was any other way…”

“But there isn’t, so I’ll have to deal with it.”

“Do not worry, my love. I _will_ try to fix this,” Jongin said, taking his hand.

“How long till sundown?”

“Two more hours, perhaps. Maybe less.”

 “I’ll wait, Jongin. I’ll wait.”

The rest of the day was spent filled with anxiety from all of them. Kyungsoo didn’t have the heart to wake Baekhyun up, but there was no stopping him from bawling in tears when he woke up and saw Chanyeol hanging in his cage, blood spattering on his face as he screamed up at him.

“Baekhyun, there isn’t anything we can do,” Kyungsoo said, trying to get Baekhyun to hear the voice of reason. “Sure you can! Wake Jongdae up and teleport us the fuck out of here! Kai, you can make him do this, right?!” Baekhyun shouted, and Kyungsoo had to restrain him with force, holding Baekhyun back while he kicked about in frustration.

Kyungsoo couldn’t help but admit that Baekhyun was right; he had felt that something was wrong, and this was it. Chanyeol, trapped in a cage like a bird, bleeding out onto the streets like a stuck pig while they waited for the Sun to go down, while they waited for the negotiation time to approach.

In the end, Yixing had to slap a bag of herbs over Baekhyun, which turned out to be a sleeping concoction he had brought in his bag, and Baekhyun slumped over into what seemed like a coma. They let him sleep beneath the shadow of a stone angel, which Kyungsoo thought was befitting; Baekhyun, as well as the rest of them, would need a divine miracle to get Chanyeol back safely without causing a war.

“Why didn’t we see the cage from afar?” Kyungsoo murmured, seated on the ground with Jongin’s arms embracing him from behind. “They must have placed a spell on it, my love. We would’ve been able to see it once we reached the edge of Europe but it only appeared before my eyes when we were within thirty feet of it,” Jongin replied, kissing Kyungsoo’s neck.

“I can’t believe that the King would do this,” Kyungsoo said, his palms sweaty as he stared up at Chanyeol’s cage. The sun was at its highest peak now, and he could only guess at how hot it must be up there, or how cold it must be whenever the wind blew.

“I should’ve anticipated it, but it escaped me, _min kjærlighet_ , and I must apologize to you,” Jongin said to him.

“Stop beating yourself up, Jongin, you don’t have to apologize for something you didn’t do. It’s not your fucking fault,” Kyungsoo grumped, giving Jongin an angry kiss on the mouth. “You can’t blame me, my love, anything could trigger you off and send you running into the distance from me, and I wouldn’t be able to stop you,” Jongin mumbled in Kyungsoo’s ear.

“Now why would I run away from you unless I absolutely had to? You’re more insecure than I am,” Kyungsoo looked up at him.

“I have never been called ‘insecure’ in my entire life,” Jongin drew an arm around Kyungsoo tightly.

“’Bout time you did, then. Look, we’ll get out of this somehow, I know it, but until then,” Kyungsoo shrugged. “Nothing can bring Chanyeol down right now. I accept that,” Kyungsoo said, squeezing Jongin’s hand around him.

“I wish there was enough time to allow you to escape but we’ve come too far into Europe to leave,” Jongin said thoughtfully.

“Me? And what, leave you here? You’d never be able to make me do that,” Kyungsoo scoffed.

“That’s true. But why would you stay? There’s nothing but danger for you,” Jongin said, adjusting his hold on Kyungsoo to place his chin on Kyungsoo’s head.

“I go wherever you go. Face it, my lovely wolf mate, you’re stuck with me,” Kyungsoo replied dryly. Jongin laughed silently, his breath warm as it blew down Kyungsoo’s face. Jongin had just started humming a song to himself, a slow and familiar tune when suddenly Kyungsoo remembered about the myth Yixing had spoken about.

 _Should I ask him now? He’s in a pretty good mood_ , Kyungsoo thought, Jongin’s chest firm against him. _I’ll ask him_ , Kyungsoo thought firmly. _It’s not like he can keep a secret from me for long._

“Jongin?” Kyungsoo peeked up at him.

“Hmm?”

“I may or not have heard a story from someone in our company here—”

“Oh, goodness me, here it comes,” Jongin sighed. “Is it about how wolves eat Purebloods?”

“Um, no. But do you? Would be nice if I had a warning from you before you eat me,” Kyungsoo furrowed his eyebrows.

“Of course not. Perhaps the rogue ones in your world might’ve done it, but it is forbidden to harm a Pureblood here, in this world. Of course, Europeans don’t believe in this rule,” Jongin said wryly.

“Oh. Okay. But back to my question,” Kyungsoo said, shaking his head. “Is there any myths about Pureblood changing into werewolves?” he asked, shifting to look at Jongin in the eye.

“Yes, there are quite a few, although they are merely stories, my love. No Pureblood has actually ever tried to become a werewolf,” Jongin said, rubbing a hand affectionately over Kyungsoo’s face. It distracted Kyungsoo from what he was saying, but Kyungsoo caught most of it. “Can you tell me some of them? Just a few?” Kyungsoo asked.

“I’m not sure if you would want to hear some of them, my love, they can get quite gruesome even if they are just stories,” Jongin frowned. “Tell me. I’m not five years old, for God’s sake,” Kyungsoo said, snuggling back into Jongin’s embrace to escape the cold. He leaned on Jongin’s shoulder, letting Jongin pull him close.

“Well, one of the stories is that a Pureblood can be turned into a werewolf if the moon in the Pureblood world and the moon in this world is full at the same time. The convergence lasts only for mere moments but it provides more than enough power to change a Pureblood into a werewolf,” Jongin placed a chaste kiss on Kyungsoo’s neck.

“Mm. Is there more?”

“The only difference between a Pureblood wolf from normal werewolves is that…” Jongin hesitated. “These are all myths and nothing else, _min kjærlighet,_ you understand that, don’t you?” he said, a hand on Kyungsoo’s shoulder.

“Yep, get on with it,” Kyungsoo rolled his eyes. Really, he had just seen one of his best friends suspended fifty feet in the air, there wasn’t much that could scare Kyungsoo anymore.

“The lifespan of a Pureblood werewolf is said to be shorter than a normal wolf’s,” Jongin said in a rush, his words coming out in a garbled mess. “How long, exactly?” Kyungsoo asked, fingering a strand of Jongin’s hair _. It’s so soft_ , Kyungsoo smiled to himself.

“The normal lifespan of a Pureblood, _min kjærlighet_ ,” Jongin gave a weak shrug. “And—”

“Master, there are horsemen heading our way!” Minseok came running over, breathless from what seemed like excitement. “What?” Jongin got up, almost dumping Kyungsoo to the ground in the process. “Get behind me, my love, they could be Daywalkers—”

“I thought those things only existed in video games,” Kyungsoo grumbled, crawling behind Jongin and getting up to his feet. “I’m afraid they’re very real, my love, and there has been talk of Daywalkers in Europe, owing allegiance to no one. That, on its own, poses a potential threat to us.” Jongin said, standing defensively in front of Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo peered curiously over Jongin’s shoulder, spotting two cloaked horsemen riding towards their company. Suho unsheathed a sword, light glinting off its surface.

“ _Som våger å true Kongen_?!” Suho shouted, pointing the sword at them. _Who dares to threaten the King?***_ One of the horsemen drew back his cloak, revealing a tanned man, aged about thirty or so. They stopped in front of Suho and Minseok, and Luhan tried to cower into the shadows, placing an arm over Baekhyun’s limp body. Yixing sat on Jongdae’s covered body, trying to act as if Jongdae’s body was a cushion and nothing else. Luckily, the man’s gaze was set upon Jongin and Kyungsoo intently.

“ _Vi er bare håndlangere til vår Konge_ , sir. Lower your weapon, man, and we shall speak like civilized persons,” the man got down from his horse. _We are mere henchmen to our King._ Suho lowered his sword, but didn’t sheath it, gripping it tightly in his fist. The other horseman didn’t uncloak himself, only sat there on his horse, face out of view.

“The European King wishes to meet _de profeterte seg_ in his court, you understand, and he invites you, my King, to his party tonight. Your company is more than welcome to join us,” the man smiled at Jongin, who stared back at him with a glare. _The prophesized ones._

“ _Gjør din Konge håne oss, høyrehånd_?” Jongin bit out. _Does your King taunt us, henchman?_ “My company and I wish not to dally with the European King. Bring down your prisoner from his infernal cage at once, Pureblood, and then will I consider meeting your King in _his_ court _.” He’s human?_ Kyungsoo could hardly believe it; a human living in Europe must be someone special.

“ _Den europeiske Kongen gjør ingen erta, min Konge._ The European King awaits you, and he does not like to be kept waiting. He has sent me to bring you to his court, and it is my duty to complete his order at _any costs_.” He touched the hilt of his sword once, subtly holding it out to Jongin. _The European King makes no taunts, my King._

 “Come with me, my King, and no harm shall befall either you or your company. After all, it _is_ Europe,” he smiled coldly again. “I cannot protect those that I cannot see.” He held out his arms in mock surrender.

Suho looked over to Jongin, giving him a nod, jaw clenched. Jongin gave an onceover at the man before him, placing a hand on Kyungsoo behind him _. He can’t be a danger to four werewolves, surely_ , Kyungsoo thought, and Jongin seemed to think the same. The other horseman was shady, but if he was out in the day then maybe he was just another human.

“Very well, henchman. Lead us to your King.”


	7. finally, you and me are the lucky ones

“The King’s court is not far from here, and if we ride out now we may reach the court in time for the King’s party,” the man said, satisfied that Jongin had agreed to ride with him. “The King shall await us until then,” he said with a formal bow, and headed back to his horse, the other horseman still and unmoving.   
“Suho, Minseok,” Jongin called, eyeing Jongdae’s body pointedly. Yixing got off him and scrambled to gather their things with Luhan, packing everything up and placing them on one horse. Suho and Minseok carried Jongdae’s body to one side when the two horsemen were engaged in conversation, tossing him into a corner where the horsemen couldn’t see from where they were standing.   
“Jongin, are you just gonna leave him here?” Kyungsoo hissed, picking up his bag and placing it on the horse carrying all their supplies. “I had already informed Jongdae of this, in case of an emergency where he cannot hide himself. Believe me, my love, we have discussed this already, and he will piece everything together easily,” Jongin muttered, pulling Kyungsoo to Midnight and practically throwing him over the back of the horse.   
“Hey—Why are you getting up with me?” Kyungsoo protested when Jongin clambered up onto the horse. “This is Europe, I will not allow you to ride alone. Besides, only one horse carrying supplies will look suspicious; the men will think there is an eighth person in our company. Better to have two horses carrying supplies,” Jongin took Kyungsoo’s backpack and placed it on the only horse with a vacant back along with his own backpack.  
Yixing and Luhan managed to tie Baekhyun onto a horse’s back, and they got on their own horses, faces anxious. Kyungsoo tried not to glance at Jongdae’s body dumped at the side of the road, hidden behind a wall of bricks. It was a miracle that somehow the men hadn’t spotted Jongdae’s feet sticking out of the cloth, but then maybe they didn’t expect so many people to arrive.   
“Are you ready to ride, gentlemen?” the man called out at them. Jongin gave them a terse nod, and they went off, kicking up dust clouds with their horses’ hooves. Suho and Jongin exchanged a glance, watching the men go for a few seconds before starting off as well, Suho at the head and Minseok at the back. Luhan and Yixing guarded Baekhyun in case he woke up, watching him to see if he was about to wake up.   
Kyungsoo glanced up at Chanyeol in his cage again, waving at him and pointing at the two horsemen. He gave a thumbs up and motioned as if he was opening up a bird cage. We’re going to free you.  
Chanyeol’s eyes widened, and he stretched out his arm, shaking his hands and head wildly. He looked like he was trying to say, “Don’t go,” but Kyungsoo wasn’t sure; he could hardly hear what Chanyeol was saying above the sound of his own thudding heartbeat. The cage swung when he tried to look at them through the bars, and Kyungsoo thought he could hear chains clinking against each other. Kyungsoo pointed at Jongin and made a biting motion with his mouth.   
“My love, stop playing charades with your companion,” Jongin chuckled. “I’m just trying to tell him that we’re going to save him but he doesn’t get it. I think he thinks you guys are humans as well, so he’s probably worried but he doesn’t have to be,” Kyungsoo frowned.   
“Min kjærlighet, even if we are werewolves, we would be helpless in a court full of vampires,” Jongin whispered. “I don’t the King is that bad. You’re worth a lot more alive,” Kyungsoo said. “I’ve watched enough movies to know,” he smiled to himself.   
“Movies?” Jongin echoed hollowly.   
“If we ever get out of this alive, I’ll tell you what that is.”  
*  
They rode for what seemed like eternity, the sun making its way towards the west. Empty buildings stared down at them, making Kyungsoo feel as if he was riding through a ghost town. Curtains were drawn at every single window, and no matter how much noise they made, there was no one to peek outside to see who it was. Nevertheless, Kyungsoo felt as if Europe had yet to reveal its true form, that maybe the real Europe came alive only at night, just like the inhibitors of the place.  
It was hard to believe that they had been riding for almost three whole days; Kyungsoo felt as if he had been asleep for at least half of the trip. Except during our first fight, Kyungsoo blushed. I can’t even pretend to say I dreamt that up, because I know that I hurt Jongin bad, Kyungsoo thought, glancing up at Jongin, who had a neutral expression on his face.   
There’s so much I still want to say to him but it’s so embarrassing, Kyungsoo thought. “Jongin, you know I care about you, right?” Kyungsoo asked. Jongin blinked and looked down at him. “Where did this come from?”   
“N-Nothing, just… wanted you to know that I love you and stuff,” Kyungsoo mumbled, looking away. Jongin laughed lightly. “You can tell me in detail when we’re home in my castle,” Jongin kissed the top of Kyungsoo’s head gently. “And we have… lots of things to talk about, so. Let’s survive this together,” Kyungsoo kissed his jaw line.   
After a few more minutes, the horsemen stopped, turning their horses around to address them. “The court is underground, my King, I’ll have you know that first before we enter,” the man said in a wry tone. Jongin grunted in response. They had stopped in a sandy, open area with grand French mansions built all around the circumference of an empty plot of land. There was golden sand everywhere, and not a single weed in the ground. Not even a bit of green growing defiantly in the loose sand.   
“I think we’re above the court,” Kyungsoo said to Jongin. “I believe so too, my love. Notice the runes etched into the ground at our feet?” Jongin replied. Kyungsoo looked down and noticed that there were a few spots uncovered by the sand, the ground a dark, morose colour with runes everywhere.  
The man guiding them got off his horse, kneeling down to feel for something beneath the grains of sand.   
“I don’t know what sort of rumours you may have heard in Lycanfort, my King, but what you will soon see will amaze you, entrance you even,” he smiled to himself, brushing sand away from a spot. “All of you, gather near your King. I do hope you have complete control of your horses?” he said dryly.   
He placed a palm over the spot he had cleared, and blue light spilled from his hand. Jongin gave a snort. “A Pureblood spell caster. I should’ve known,” he said to Kyungsoo.  
“Oh, I know those!” Kyungsoo almost squealed. “They’re banned in my world. I honestly didn’t think there could be any here,” Kyungsoo said, staring at the man. “But min kjærlighet, he is not just any Pureblood spell caster. He is a Pureblood spell caster who works for the European King. A very dangerous man to be with,” Jongin said, sending a shiver down Kyungsoo’s spine. Who in their right mind would want to work for someone who fed on your own species?  
He muttered a few strange words, the blue light from his hand increasing in brightness. The cold wind ceased to blow across the empty land, Mother Nature holding her breath to await the caster’s demand. Then the whole area blasted the sand away, all of the sand blowing to the sides to reveal the black ground at their feet. All of the runes glowed a blue light, and some of them started to move.   
“The King despises the Sun and has found a way to hide from it,” the man said, standing calmly. The ground Jongin’s horse was standing on started to rotate, the sound of stone grating against stone loud like thunder. “I welcome you, King of Lycanfort, to the real city of Europe,” the man smiled.   
The ground rotated slowly, sinking as it turned clockwise. The runes glowed bright with magic, lighting up the darkness below ground.   
Kyungsoo could make out faces in the darkness, many of them looking like masks. “Ah, I see the party is about to start,” the man said lightly, looking around as well. Kyungsoo saw Baekhyun struggle in his seat and he knew he was finally awake. Luhan leaned over to whisper in his ear, and his struggles ceased while he tried to get a good look at his surroundings.   
“Get off the platform one by one, please,” the man said, holding out an arm. Kyungsoo snatched up his backpack in case he would need it. He didn’t feel safe in an underground city full of vampires, and he sure as hell wasn’t about to take any chances. Jongin’s arm tightened around Kyungsoo, his eyes darting around to observe the Europeans.  
They got off the platform, the sounds of hooves loud in the dark silence of Europe. Luhan untied Baekhyun from the horse, letting the rope sit on the horse’s back.   
“Is this the only entrance?” Jongin asked.   
“The only one made for visitors, yes,” the man said, touching one of the runes. It started rotating anticlockwise, rising back up to the city above. It wasn’t quite sunset yet, which unsettled Kyungsoo. How was it that the vampires were all awake, and staring at the lot of them?   
“I had always assumed Europeans sleep during the day,” Jongin lifted an eyebrow at the man, his voice echoing. It took a while for Kyungsoo to realize that not a single one of the Europeans said anything. They only stood by the sidelines, watching.  
“The King’s court has been casted over by a powerful spell, milord. Casted by yours truly, in fact,” he chuckled. “Those above are subject to the power of the Sun. Here…” the man waved a hand around as the platform grated shut. “The King is God.”  
“The Sacred Law,” Jongin muttered. “That is correct, my King. Now, there is no more need for horses, for the King is very close by,” the man said.   
“Can we not keep the horses with us?” Luhan asked suspiciously.   
“Nobody brings horses to a party, Young Master,” the man chuckled. “I will take great care of your horses, milords, not to worry.”  
“Do not, under any circumstances, wander from me, my love,” he whispered, giving him a kiss on the forehead in pretence.  
“I trust you, Pureblood, with my horses,” Jongin said, handing the man the reins. The other horseman got off, collecting their horses. They stood together closely, unwilling to break apart from the rest. “My man will deal with your horses. For now, come. The official guests have arrived and the King awaits,” the man said, rubbing his hands together.   
Kyungsoo noticed that it was much colder underground for some strange reason, and pulled his clothes together, keeping one hand in his pocket and the other in Jongin’s warm hand. Jongin didn’t seem too bothered by the cold, as did the rest of the Europeans staring at them.  
They started to walk through the dead silence, Europeans parting to make way for them, wearing or holding up elaborate masks to their faces. There were candles lit and it gave Kyungsoo glimpses of the real Europe; flapper dresses in glittering gold, red silk evening gowns, tuxedos and masks of every kind, from simple black ones to overdone peacock masks held delicately by female hands. Fashion from the past and present times, all in one city, at a masquerade party.  
Strange as it might be, Kyungsoo felt rather left out in this place. He felt underdressed, even if the party wasn’t the reason he was here for. Still, Jongin looked like he fitted right in with his good looks, and Luhan could’ve been standing among them too, if he had a mask over his face. Jongin obviously has great genes, Kyungsoo thought.   
As the crowd watched in a breathless silence, they reached the end of the underground city where the ceiling suddenly rose to at least twenty feet, the jagged, rock walls abruptly changing into alabaster walls, streaked in black in some places. Dozens of scented candles littered the floor and walls, all of them smelling like scented oil. Two large alabaster pillars held the ceiling up, and where there were plenty of vampires lurking in the shadows behind them, only a handful stood on the marble floors, chatting casually. A woman in a slinky, lavender dress sat in a corner, her nibble fingers plucking at a harp, its soft music echoing only within the marble area.   
Even Jongin looked impressed, taking in the sights. “You gotta admit, this is something,” Kyungsoo nudged him in the ribs. “Yes, it certainly is,” Jongin breathed.  
“There’s the European King,” Jongin said, walking towards a group of three men wearing white masks, holding champagne flutes while chatting conversationally. Baekhyun looked frightened by it all, but Kyungsoo was more awed than afraid at the moment. Luhan looked like he was jealous, while Yixing was indifferent, Suho and Minseok tensed up behind him.   
One of the three men spared them a glance, a tall man in a white suit with tailcoats. He moved his mask away from his face and smiled as if they were old friends and he stepped away from the other two men, his red eyes observing all of them. He looked like the kind of guy who collected vintage cars for a hobby, and drove a white Pontiac wherever he went.  
He had a handsome face, cold and ageless like one of Michelangelo’s statues. This is the guy who practically led a Revolution in another world, Kyungsoo thought, somehow honoured to meet a pioneer of history, even if the guy wasn’t exactly Jesus Christ.  
“I see that our official guests have finally arrived,” he quirked an eyebrow at Kyungsoo. Three earrings twinkled in the candlelight, one of them a large cross dangling from his earlobe. He’s pretty ironic, Kyungsoo thought, almost laughing to himself.   
“Yifan,” Jongin said, releasing Kyungsoo momentarily to bow formally. The rest followed, bowing low to the European King in a show of respect, while he nodded at them. “You are the Young Master, I presume?” Yifan pointed at Luhan with the hand holding the champagne flute.  
He greeted each and every one of them by name, presumably to indicate that he knew them even if he was hundreds of miles away. Most of them were mildly polite, returning his greetings with a murmured, “My King.”  
“And you…” Yifan purred, stepping close to Kyungsoo. “I’ve heard lots about you, Kyungsoo. May I?” Yifan looked at Jongin, holding out a large, pale hand at Kyungsoo.  
He shuffled back instinctively, glancing at Jongin. Kyungsoo wasn’t the expert on Lycanfort or European etiquette, and would rather be safe than sorry, especially around a vampire.   
Jongin looked devastatingly conflicted, and was a second late in reply. “Go ahead,” he urged Kyungsoo half heartedly, releasing his hold on Kyungsoo’s hand. Kyungsoo wasn’t sure what Yifan wanted from him, but decided to trust Jongin on this.   
“Hi,” Kyungsoo smiled nervously. Yifan smiled back gently, lending him the face of an angel. “I won’t bite,” he cooed, reaching for Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo stuck out a hand, thinking that Yifan wanted to shake hands with him. Instead, Yifan touched Kyungsoo’s hand and turned it over, palm up. His touch was cold as ice, his skin feeling like sandpaper wrapped around a block of ice. Yifan lifted his wrist up to his nose and shut his eyes for a moment, breathing in.  
Baekhyun chewed his lip nervously in Kyungsoo’s peripheral vision. “So young,” he murmured, touching Kyungsoo’s veins very gently before stepping away. “Hans duft virkelig tantalizes en som meg, kjære konge,” Yifan smiled at Jongin as if they shared a private joke. His scent truly tantalizes one like me, dear King. ***  
“Jeg er overrasket over at du tok ham sammen,” Yifan continued, the words flowing like water off his tongue. I’m surprised you brought him along.  
He paced about in front of them while sipping at the last drops of his drink (which Kyungsoo was fairly sure it looked like blood), gaze thoughtful.   
“La oss ikke erte hverandre... Jeg ser ikke ditt hevdet en heller,” Jongin replied dryly. Let’s not tease one another. I haven’t seen your claimed one either.  
“And anything you want to say to me can be said this way, so as to allow,” Jongin paused, placing a hand on Kyungsoo’s back. “…Kyungsoo to understand.”  
“Don’t mind me, it’s not a—it’s not a big deal,” Kyungsoo hurriedly said. Yifan laughed, eyes twinkling like a child’s. Looks can be so deceiving, Kyungsoo thought. “No, no, I insist. Pardon me for being ignorant,” he said, though he didn’t really sound like he was very bothered.   
“You’re right, Kai, you have shown me your own, and by all means, I should show you mine,” Yifan said, snapping his fingers once.   
Kyungsoo turned around, expecting to see Tao, if that was really his name. The crowd in the darkness parted once more, and a tall guy (Every other vampire must be blessed with perfection, Kyungsoo thought grumpily) made his way through the people, wearing a simple white robe, his hair dark and falling into his eyes. There was a mask in his hands and he walked slowly towards them, taking his time.   
His skin was a healthy shade of olive, Kyungsoo noticed, his features sharp and asymmetrical, although Kyungsoo would say that he looked more like a diamond in the rough compared to Yifan who was like a diamond at an auction, taunting everyone to buy him tonight, or you would never see one as beautiful as him ever again.  
Kyungsoo thought it was rude of him to drag his feet when the official guests were on a tight schedule, but oh well. It wasn’t like he could say anything about it.   
It wasn’t till he looked back at Yifan briefly that he realized it was a show, put on not for the eye of the public, but particularly for Yifan’s benefit. There was a smile playing on Yifan’s lips, and a different look in his eyes. Affection maybe, like the fleeting adoring glance one would give to a mother carrying a cute baby in her arms. Except this lasted for more than a fleeting glance, and Kyungsoo had an inkling that Tao was probably much more pampered than a newborn baby.   
“Min Konge,” he got down on his knees, bowing his head reverently. “Rise, child. These people are from Lycanfort,” Yifan said. Tao got up as commanded and gave them a sweeping gaze. He murmured a polite greeting and sidled up to Yifan’s arm.   
“Every bit perfect as the rumours say,” Jongin remarked, the comment hollow. “Mm, isn’t he?” Yifan said, running a hand over Tao’s cheek. Tao was quiet, but something in his body language told Kyungsoo that he probably had a lot to say in private. He’s sort of vain too, Kyungsoo mused, observing the jewellery on his hands and neck, white gold earrings glimmering with diamonds in his ear. Or maybe Yifan wants him to wear it, Kyungsoo thought.   
“Are you hungry, Kai? I can bring in a meal for you to dine upon here,” Yifan asked, hands running down to Tao’s chest to flutter about before letting his hand fall.   
“No, thank you, Yifan. If possible, could we perhaps discuss a few important matters?” Kai replied. Yifan gave him an amused smile.  
“Eager, aren’t we? I suppose we could do it now. Send chairs,” Yifan said loudly to no one in particular, but someone disappeared quickly from the marble area and returned within a second with seven chairs stacked up on his back. He was still walking upright though, and passed out the chairs like one would pass out chips to everyone.   
“Where shall we start?” Yifan said, turning to sit upon a marble throne, dragons with red rubies in their mouths carved along the armrest. It was large, but because it was the same colour as the rest of the marble area, Kyungsoo hadn’t noticed it until Yifan was seated upon it.   
“Sit, sit,” Yifan said warmly at all of them. The chairs he had offered were painted gold, with plush velvet cushions. Kyungsoo noticed that the chairs were like everything else; tasteful, with classy Old World elegance and luxury exuding from every inch of the place.  
Kyungsoo sat uncertainly first, and the rest followed, facing the King’s throne. Jongin pushed his chair next to Kyungsoo’s, keeping their hands firmly together.   
“Where, oh, where shall we start?” Yifan sighed, straightening his jacket. As soon as he sat down, the Europeans outside the marble area started to talk in low voices, moving away from the area. They were visibly relaxed now, unlike a few minutes ago.   
“European manners,” Jongin said to Kyungsoo, at his questioning look.   
“Ah! Let’s start with your company, Kai. Tell me the story of how a company of eight becomes seven within a day,” Yifan said expectantly.   
Jongin didn’t even hiccup, replying smoothly. “We lost one of my men to the forest, Yifan. It was regretful that we couldn’t save him,” he said regretfully.   
“Is that so? Don’t remember any of my men mentioning that,” Yifan said, tapping his chin. “And where is the body now, might I ask?”   
“We never found it,” Jongin answered. “Pity,” Yifan said with a wistful tone. Tao handed a new champagne flute to Yifan filled with blood, exchanging the empty one with a silent waitress. She went on to serve the rest of those in the marble area.   
“But I suppose life goes on, doesn’t it?” Yifan said dismissively, drinking the blood. “What about your new pet, Kai, has circumstances been kind to you?”   
“Kyungsoo and I get along just fine,” Jongin said, crossing his legs. “But on a more serious tone, I believe circumstances have not been kind to your Pureblood prisoners,” Jongin said subtly, watching Yifan for a change in expression.  
“I suppose you’re referring to this?” Yifan tapped his champagne flute. Kyungsoo frowned. “No, we mean my friend who’s practically dying while you sit here sipping on your blood—Oh.” The blood in the champagne flute belonged to Chanyeol. Kyungsoo heard Baekhyun whimper, maybe a choked sob before he placed a hand over his mouth.  
Oh, this was even worse than he thought it’d be.   
“Ah, so he’s your friend,” Yifan said, completely ignoring what Kyungsoo just said. Tao sat on the ground beside Yifan, hands placed demurely in his lap.   
“I must say, I have not had friends in a long time. In fact, I’ve forgotten what it feels like,” Yifan said as if he had casually forgotten to wear a watch.   
“Figures,” Kyungsoo folded his arms.   
“And how can I help you with your friend, Kyungsoo? Would you like him freed? Or would you like to bequeath him the gift of eternal life, hmm? Take him now, and Kai has to pay a thousand gold coins for someone one step away from the grave, or allow him to join my court, and I shall set you all on your merry way,” Yifan said cheerfully.   
“I’ll never hand over my friend to you. In case you forgot, friends don’t abandon each other,” Kyungsoo hissed.   
Yifan chuckled, looking more and more amused. “Is that so, Kyungsoo? I don’t recall ever living with this principle,” he lifted an eyebrow. “Well, I do, and I want him freed. You’ve got more than enough people in your court to fill up a town.”  
“So Kyungsoo wants to bargain for his friend’s life, eh? Now this, I can’t refuse, not from de profeterte seg,” Yifan gave a wide smile, fangs sliding out from his upper gums.   
“You’ve put your price up at a thousand gold coins,” Kyungsoo started to say, but Jongin placed a silencing hand on him. “What? I’ve seen Million Dollar Listing, I know how bargaining works,” Kyungsoo said. Jongin sighed, putting a hand over his forehead.  
“Trust me, Kai, if you let Kyungsoo speak I may be more willing to lower the price,” Yifan said to Jongin. Jongin said nothing.   
“With all due respect, Yifan, nobody can put a price on friendship. But, since we’re talking money now, let’s start with nothing over five hundred,” Kyungsoo said, feeling brave.   
“Half? Then there’s no more fun in extortion anymore, is there? Eight hundred,” Yifan countered.   
“Six hundred,” Kyungsoo replied.   
“Seven hundred and half. No more, no less.”  
“No.” Kyungsoo let his voice echo loudly in the marble area. Jongin looked rather proud of him. “No, hmm?” Yifan repeated thoughtfully. He was silent for a while, rubbing his chin with a hand.   
“Perhaps you could offer me something else other than money, Kyungsoo,” Yifan said, getting up to his feet. He paced around again, hands behind his back.   
“I’ve lived for many years, if you’ll pardon my saying, and if there’s one thing I learned, the currency isn’t the most valuable of things.”  
“In fact, it means almost nothing to me. Through personal experience, I find that something far more charitable, something a little more emotional, something more everlasting than currency…”  
Kyungsoo didn’t like where the conversation was steering into. “And what’s that, Yifan?” Jongin asked, trailing a finger on his thigh absently.   
Yifan paused, twiddling his fingertips. He looked like he was contemplating a decision that wasn’t very difficult, his gaze heavy upon Kyungsoo.   
“I will give you a new deal, Kyungsoo, which I’m sure you will love. It involves freeing your little pally and not a single gold coin.” Kyungsoo exhaled loudly, relieved that the King was ready to negotiate at a more reasonable standard.   
“It does however, involve a tiny bit of blood.”   
Something crashed over, surprising Kyungsoo and he blinked, Jongin’s lower back suddenly blocking his view of Yifan’s throne. Jongin’s chair lay overturned on the ground beside Kyungsoo, its four legs sticking up into the air.  
“Um, Jongin?”  
“Don’t think I don’t know what game you’re playing at, European King. Blood carries more weight in here than anywhere else in the world, and I’m not about to let you take a single drop from Kyungsoo,” Jongin snarled, holding out a spear Kyungsoo didn’t know he owned to Yifan’s neck.   
“No?” Yifan pouted, tilting his head to one side to look at Kyungsoo pleadingly. “I promise no harm will befall you from it.”  
“Don’t fall for his lies, min kjærlighet, his words is the reason why Lycanfort and Europe can no longer coexist peacefully,” Jongin moved his feet slightly, just a shuffle against the ground, but Tao became a moving blur, crashing him over just as the tip of the spear nicked Yifan’s neck.   
Yifan barely reacted, swiping at the little drop of blood at his neck with a handkerchief from his pocket. Jongin was on his back, holding up the spear with both hands to prevent Tao from biting down on his neck.   
“Tao, there’s no need for violence,” Yifan said lightly, dropping his handkerchief to the ground. The spot of red on the stark white fabric was startling, the way it shone like the rubies on his throne.   
Tao got off of Jongin, baring his fangs and hissing what sounded like curses at Jongin as he backed off. Kyungsoo cowered away from Tao, staring down at his feet.   
“Where were we? Oh yes. You know, ultimately, I am making this offer to de profeterte seg. If you, Kai, are unwilling to allow Kyungsoo to impart blood to me, and all I’m asking for a single drop, then perhaps you could offer your own?” Yifan said to Jongin as he got up, gripping his spear.  
“Strike another bargain, Yifan. I’m not letting anyone in my company spill a single drop of blood,” Jongin said, sounding a bit angrier than Kyungsoo thought he’d be. “Look, Jongin, it’s fine—”  
“See? Even he knows it’s harmless,” Yifan laughed. Jongin gave a glare to Kyungsoo, his eyes flickering from yellow to brown at an alarming rate.   
“To put Jongin at ease, may I know the reason why you’re asking for a drop of blood from us?” Kyungsoo asked, getting up from his seat slowly. “You are giving me blood to save your friend, my dear, not for answers,” Yifan replied curtly, flicking away lint on his white suit.  
“Don’t do it, love, we wouldn’t know why he wants it,” Jongin said, putting on a burst of speed to stand before Kyungsoo. His eyes flickered from neon yellow to brown, the colours struggling against each other.   
“It’s a pretty small price to pay, Jongin, and I don’t see any other way except possibly getting you hurt,” Kyungsoo said, using his thumb to point at Tao.   
Jongin’s hands trembled with the effort of holding back his frustration. “It’s not safe, my love, and I won’t allow it,” he said firmly, voice soft. Jongin pushed Kyungsoo hard enough to make him take a step back, giving the spear a jolt in his hand. The spear retracted into a short blade, and Jongin placed it in Kyungsoo’s hands.   
“Wha—” Jongin stepped towards Yifan, who looked like he was very amused with the whole scene. Tao sat on the ground at his feet once more, giving Jongin a guarded look. “Royal blood always has its advantage, that is what I always say,” Yifan smiled, fangs glinting threateningly.  
“Have at me, Yifan,” Jongin sighed, pulling up a sleeve to expose his wrist. “Oh, just your finger will do,” Yifan smiled, motioning to come closer. He produced a sharp needle from the inside of his jacket, thin and only about an inch in length.   
Kyungsoo gulped, looking over at Luhan and Baekhyun for support. Luhan was pale, unsure and powerless to do anything while Yifan wielded the needle with ease, taking Jongin’s hand.   
“Just a prick is all it will take,” he murmured, bringing the needle close. Kyungsoo held his breath, scared to know what would happen next. When it was only a few centimetres away from Jongin’s finger, Kyungsoo heard a loud, “Kai, get out of the way!”   
Kyungsoo turned around to see Jongdae holding an assault rifle, taking aim at Yifan. He cocked the gun, finger pressing on the trigger and what sounded like a bomb rang out in the small space as Yifan’s right shoulder blossomed into a bright red, pristine snow stained by blood.   
He staggered back onto his throne while Tao lunged at him, fangs bared.  
Everything suddenly moved in slow motion for Kyungsoo. White noise filled his ears, a sharp, piercing sound. The few vampires in the marble area abandoned their civil demeanours, fangs and long nails out for blood. Suho and Minseok growled back at them, Phasing out of their human forms.  
Little pieces of fabric floated to the ground, remnants of their clothes. They became masses of fur and teeth, growling at the vampires and snapping their large jaws. Tao managed to get Jongdae to drop the rifle, and Luhan pulled Baekhyun to the ground to protect him while Kyungsoo…  
Kyungsoo ran the three feet separating him from Jongin, catching him in time before he cracked his skull open on the marble floor. “Jongin!” he cried, sliding under him to allow him a safe landing on his lap. His face was white like a sheet, his breathing rapid and heavy.   
“P…Poi…poison…” Jongin wheezed, looking up at Kyungsoo. “Holy fuck, this is bad. Shit, shit, shit, Yixing, where are you?!” Kyungsoo turned around frantically, trying to spot Yixing in the commotion.  
He was with Luhan and Baekhyun, ducking in time to avoid a vampire trying to tackle him down. Luhan pushed Baekhyun away and scrambled for the vampire’s neck, pressing down on his body and snarling at him.   
“Yixing! Get over here,” Kyungsoo called desperately. Baekhyun and Yixing heard him and crawled towards them at an excruciatingly slow pace, manoeuvring past chairs, broken glass and strips of fabrics scattered everywhere.   
“You’ll never find a cure, dear Kyungsoo,” Yifan said calmly, still seated on his throne. The flesh on his arm started to knit itself back together, blood staining his throne and white suit.   
“Oh, fuck you,” Kyungsoo said, throwing the spear at him. Yifan caught it with his hand midair as if he had expected him to do it, tossing it aside on the ground. “Shame it wasn’t used on you. You would’ve been dead by now if it was you. After all, cyanide is potent,” he laughed. A shiver ran down between Kyungsoo’s shoulder blades; if it weren’t for Jongin, he would’ve been the one coughing up blood instead of Jongin.   
Kyungsoo blinked back tears, looking down at Jongin. “I’m so sorry, Jongin, I was so dumb to believe that was all he wanted. Jongin, don’t die on me, please,” Kyungsoo begged, holding up Jongin’s head while blood started to run down his nostrils.   
Jongin could only wheeze and snort blood out of his nose in reply while his cold hand gripped Kyungsoo’s with surprising strength. Yixing came over just then, digging into his pockets for something. “Jongdae gave me something in case anything should happen,” Yixing muttered to himself. He held a blue stone in his hand like a piece of chalk, drawing runes on the ground.   
“You can fucking Portal?” Kyungsoo asked, while Yixing continued to draw runes seriously. “Only this one time. It will affect me physically, Kyungsoo, so once we reach Lycanfort, get Kai into the castle. We can’t have the bloodline dying out because of the European King.” The runes glowed blue like the platform they had arrived on, and the ground started to crack.   
“Wait, where is the King?” Baekhyun asked, turning around and realizing the King and Tao was not to be found.   
“S-Shit, he’s going to kill Chanyeol! It’s the ritual to publicly murder any prisoner they’ve caught—Oh, Jongdae, I’ve drawn the Portal runes, can you get to Chanyeol—”  
Jongdae was already pushing past them, blood dripping from his forehead and arms. “I can save Chanyeol but I don’t know how I’m going to get all of you out of here,” Jongdae said, shoving them away from the circle of runes.   
“Don’t you have any more of those rune stones?” Yixing asked. “Nope, they were all in my backpack. Should’ve kept some, but I didn’t think the King would make such a mess,” Jongdae muttered. The cracks in the ground deepened and the runes glowed brighter, piercing Kyungsoo’s eyes.   
“Do you want to get out of here, or do you want me to save Chanyeol?” Jongdae asked for one final time. Kyungsoo wasn’t sure if he was directing the question to him, but Yixing and Baekhyun kept quiet behind him, pushing the decision to him.  
“I won’t blame you for which ever choice you make,” Baekhyun said to him.   
Kyungsoo bit his lip, looking over at Luhan who had finally Phased, his white fur billowing out as he bit down hard on a vampire’s torso, shaking him around for good measure. There’s three wolves, four useless bags of meat and over a hundred vampires ready to kill us, Kyungsoo thought. But if being selfish brought him here, then maybe selflessness could get him out of this place.  
“Save Chanyeol,” Kyungsoo said softly. Baekhyun blinked in surprise, about to protest. “It’s fine, Baek,” Kyungsoo said to Baekhyun. He placed a hand on his shoulder in a silent thank you.  
“I thought you’d never ask,” Jongdae smirked, opening up the Portal and slipping through, giving Kyungsoo a glimpse of a sky full of stars. He could hear Yifan bellowing loudly: “Let the Feast begin, my people!”   
The Portal poofed away once Jongdae went through, cutting off Yifan’s speech and leaving Kyungsoo feeling hopeless while Jongin lay dying in his arms.   
“I’m sorry, Jongin,” Kyungsoo wailed, tears falling as he started to bleed from his ears. Jongin gurgled back at him, coughing vehemently and spitting out blood. He touched Kyungsoo’s necklace, tapping at it weakly.   
“I’m not going to let you die without a fight, Jongin. Don’t say goodbye,” Kyungsoo kissed his fingers, smearing metallic tasting blood on his lips.  
“Where the hell were you?!” Luhan suddenly shouted in a hoarse voice. Kyungsoo turned around just in time to see him slap a vampire in the face. That’s a bit strong to slap a vampire in the middle of a fight, Kyungsoo thought, but when Luhan pulled the guy into an impromptu open mouthed kiss, hope filled up Kyungsoo’s heart in an instant, a light shining through the darkness. He had forgotten about the poor soul who had somehow (mistakenly, in Kyungsoo’s opinion) fallen in love with Luhan.  
“Luhan, is that—”  
“Yes, he’s going to Portal us out of here,” Luhan nodded, and Kyungsoo almost ran over to hug him were it not for the fact that he was full on nude. Sehun managed to snap out of his kiss induced stupor in time to notice Jongin lying down in Kyungsoo’s arms and rushed over to Jongin’s body, touching his chest once and glancing up at Kyungsoo. “He has enough time to live,” he said to Kyungsoo. “I might be able to save him but—”  
“Get us out of here first before you save him,” Kyungsoo said solemnly, touching Sehun’s arm. Luhan yelled at Suho and Minseok to Phase back into human form while Sehun stood up, drawing a small blade from his pocket and slicing the air in one glide, tearing open a Portal.   
“Um, that was fast,” Kyungsoo observed, blinking in bewilderment. He didn’t even draw runes or anything…   
Carefully lifting Jongin up with the help of Baekhyun and Yixing, Kyungsoo inched to the Portal while Suho and Minseok fended off a few more vampires.  
“Are we going back to Lycanfort?” Kyungsoo heard Yixing chirrup before they were pushed through the Portal by Luhan. Kyungsoo could hear vampires screaming in thin, high pitched voices when he fell out on the other side, landing on his back to protect Jongin. Jongin coughed up more blood from the impact, but miraculously did not die from it. “You okay?” Kyungsoo asked, sitting up to allow Jongin to lie on his lap.  
Jongin nodded, chest heaving with effort to breathe.  
Luhan and Baekhyun dropped out of the Portal as well, landing on top of each other heavily beside Kyungsoo while Suho and Minseok got tangled with Yixing, and that wasn’t a pretty sight with Suho and Minseok butt naked.  
Kyungsoo looked around and realized that they were back in Lycanfort, right out front of the garden. “Baekhyun, get help for my brother,” Luhan barked, pushing him roughly towards the castle. “I’m going to help Sehun and Jongdae,” Luhan said to Kyungsoo, getting to his feet and picking grass off his face in irritation.   
Sehun glided smoothly out of the Portal, shutting it like an elevator in the faces of a hundred hungry vampires with a flick of his wrist.  
“To the prisoner, Luhan?” He held out a hand to him. Luhan ignored it, getting on all fours and Phasing back into a wolf. Sehun shrugged, slicing another Portal out of thin air and going through it. Luhan jumped through after him with a whoosh, landing on something that rattled loudly.  
Sehun didn’t close the Portal as Kyungsoo thought he would which gave Kyungsoo a nice view of what was happening in Europe. They were inside the cage, and Yifan had a death grip on Jongdae’s throat, watching him choke when he suddenly noticed Sehun and Luhan.  
“Sehun? You scumbag, betraying your King for the cursed wolves—” Yifan spat while Sehun calmly forced a hand over his mouth. He pushed Yifan back roughly into the bars, his arms flailing to claw at Sehun’s face. The cage swung madly from side to side, and a lump of flesh caught Kyungsoo’s eye.  
Luhan picked up Chanyeol’s unconscious body in his mouth (amazingly done, considering the fact that the cage was so small for his size), tossing him through the Portal. Needless to say, Chanyeol woke up just in time for Baekhyun to spot him, bringing two servants over to help him.   
Jongdae wrenched himself out of Yifan’s grip, covered in more blood than before. Bruises were peppered all over his body, but his gaze was as fierce as ever. Sehun looked at him once, exchanging unspoken words with Jongdae. Wiping the blood from his brow, Jongdae went over to the cage door, unlocking it with a few words. Sehun tugged Yifan towards the exit while Jongdae jumped through the Portal, landing on the grass.   
“Is he alright?” Jongdae groaned, crawling over to Kyungsoo despite himself. Jongin was wheezing still, his blood smeared all over Kyungsoo’s hands and clothes. “N-No. Look, I don’t think you’re in a position to heal him—” Sehun spat on Yifan before pushing him through the exit of the cage. Luhan barked loudly, sounding like laughter.  
“He owes me a favour. Tell him that,” Jongdae groaned, crunching one of his arms back into its socket. “Its cyanide, by the way,” Kyungsoo said when Jongdae’s hands started to glow, hovering over Jongin. “I guessed it would be. It’s Yifan’s favourite,” Jongdae said, moving his hands over to Jongin’s forehead.   
“Kai, I’m gonna knock you out now, so. Any last words?” Jongdae motioned to Kyungsoo with his chin. Jongin looked up at Kyungsoo again, blood trickling out of his nose. His eyes were saying something to Kyungsoo, perhaps something along the lines of ‘I love you forever. This is goodbye.’  
He opened his mouth to say something, a choked sound coming out of his mouth.   
“No goodbyes, Jongin, we’re not done yet,” Kyungsoo blinked back tears. Jongin coughed, reaching for his hand. “I’ll see you when you wake up,” Kyungsoo said, squeezing his hand as he always did to reassure him. “Don’t die on me, Jongin. I mean it,” Kyungsoo brushed a hand over his face.   
“Jeg… elsker deg, min kjærlighet,” Jongin choked, eyes starting to shut. Kyungsoo could barely make out the words, but he didn’t need a translator for it.   
Kyungsoo smiled through his tears, wiping the blood away from his chin. “I love you too, Jongin. I love you.”  
The glow from Jongdae’s hands intensified, and Jongin’s hand fell away from Kyungsoo, dropping to his side.   
*  
Kyungsoo stripped Jongin’s bloody clothes off slowly, the servant having left a bowl of warm water and a cloth to clean him up. Jongin’s breathing was the only thing he could hear in the room apart from the occasional howl of the wind outside as he worked, throwing his clothes aside. “I’m not going to touch you anywhere below the pants though,” Kyungsoo said to Jongin’s sleeping figure, hoping he could hear.  
Jongin had been brought into his room after Jongdae placed a spell over him, inducing the cyanide in his blood to seep out from his skin.   
Jongdae had ordered Kyungsoo to wipe it all up and to avoid touching it at all costs. From a ripped piece of his shirt he cleaned up the bloody mess Jongdae had made out of Jongin, his blood a dull grey colour tinged in red. It took about ten minutes and a whole lot of blue, swirly magic to clear out the cyanide in Jongin’s body, and less than thirty seconds to rush him into his room to allow him to rest.   
“He should wake up soon,” Jongdae had patted Kyungsoo’s shoulder before collapsing to his feet. Sehun had to step in then, to heal Jongdae up. That was however, at least three hours ago, and three hours did not sound like ‘soon’ to Kyungsoo.   
Or maybe I’m worrying too much, Kyungsoo thought while wiping dried blood away from Jongin’s face with a wet cloth.  
Sehun had already given him a check up to see if there was anything wrong with him, but he detected nothing and suggested to allow Jongin’s body to heal on its own. “As far as I can tell, there’s no more cyanide in his blood so I wouldn’t worry too much if I were you,” Sehun said before leaving the room. What if it was Luhan lying there instead of Jongin? Would you have worried over him? Kyungsoo wanted to shout, but bit on his tongue.   
“Kyungsoo?” Luhan’s voice said softly.   
Kyungsoo looked up from where he was standing over Jongin, spotting Luhan’s head popping through the open door.  
“Hey,” Kyungsoo said, wiping the last few streaks of blood from his neck. He dropped the wet cloth into the bowl of warm water on the nightstand, already pink with diluted blood. Jongin didn’t stir, and Kyungsoo quickly skipped out of the room.   
“How’s everyone?” Kyungsoo asked, once they were outside. “I haven’t been out to see any of them.”  
“Everybody’s alright. Suho and Minseok were hardly injured, and Chanyeol’s resting too, like Kai. He’s lost a lot of blood, Sehun said, but he’s going to come out alive, Kyungsoo. Don’t worry,” Luhan smiled at Kyungsoo.   
“Oh. Well, that’s great news. I don’t know why Jongin isn’t awake to hear all this though,” Kyungsoo replied, leaning against the wall.   
“Sehun told me Jongdae did a great job in healing him. He’s going to be fine, Kyungsoo. Werewolves don’t die easily once they’ve found their mate,” Luhan shook Kyungsoo’s shoulders gently.   
“Very reassuring,” Kyungsoo mumbled. Luhan nodded understandingly, pulling Kyungsoo into a hug.   
“Y’know, Sehun pushed Yifan out of the cage,” Luhan remarked. “Did Yifan die?” Kyungsoo asked.   
“No, but Sehun was sure he heard bones breaking when he hit the ground,” Luhan replied cheerfully. “He deserved it. Now, why don’t we get you something to eat and maybe a bath?” Luhan said, pulling away from Kyungsoo to sniff at him.   
“I don’t know if I wanna leave Jongin like this—”  
“He wouldn’t want to see and smell you in this state anyway,” Luhan cut him off. Kyungsoo sighed wearily, taking one last look at the room. Jongin hadn’t moved an inch, but Kyungsoo still felt reluctant to leave him alone.  
“It won’t take long, will it?” Kyungsoo asked. Luhan shook his head. “A bath and a meal. That’s all.”  
*  
Outside, Kyungsoo soon realized that Luhan only wanted him out of the room because there was a small party being held, with lots of alcohol and merry music. Luhan was in celebratory mood because Sehun was now with him and conveniently unable to ever return to Europe. Baekhyun, for obvious reasons, was happy to have Chanyeol back, safe and sound. As much as Kyungsoo felt happy for Baekhyun and Luhan, his heart wasn’t into the party, and he slipped away when Luhan wasn’t spying on him.   
Pulling Eunyoung aside the minute he spotted her, he requested for a bathroom, preferably one where Luhan wouldn’t think to check and a meal sent up to his room once he was done bathing.  
Forty five minutes later, Kyungsoo was enjoying a simple meal in bed with Jongin, hair still damp and sitting up against an army of pillows with a book in his hand, a forkful of salad in the other. If he listened closely enough, he could hear music from the main hall, and loud cheers from Luhan and distinctively enough, Baekhyun’s voice.   
“Says here, Jongin, that werewolves heal from almost any injury except for a silver bullet to the heart or beheading. Have you ever been beheaded?” Kyungsoo asked thoughtfully, throwing the book down to the ground.  
He had gone through Jongin’s library for something to read but there was barely any material, only books and books about martial arts or European history or war tactics. Being King meant boring books, and so Kyungsoo finally gave up on that last book, The Guide to Werewolf Anatomy, continuing to eat his meal.   
“Guess you’ve never been beheaded. It’s a pretty dumb question, now that I think about it,” Kyungsoo munched loudly. Jongin lay peacefully beside him, eyes closed and body all cleaned up by someone while Kyungsoo was away.   
“I wish you’d wake up already,” Kyungsoo said, eating up the last bits of his potato salad. “’Cause we still got a lot to talk about, and not much time since I’ll have to go back home soon.”   
He looked over at Jongin while sipping at his grapefruit juice. “This is disgusting,” Kyungsoo spat it out, replacing it on the tray in front of him. “I can’t believe you actually love this,” Kyungsoo muttered. Eunyoung had offered to make Kyungsoo grapefruit juice, saying something about how it was healthy and it happened to be Jongin’s favourite drink.   
Kyungsoo jumped at her offer the minute she mentioned Jongin, but he learned now that there was nothing he liked about the juice except the colour. Not even the health benefits could entice him into drinking half of it.   
“I guess I’ll just talk to you, and write down what I talked about so that when you wake up, you’ve got something nice to read for once,” Kyungsoo shrugged, picking up a fountain pen and a stack of papers from one of the drawers in the nightstand.   
“Okay, first off. You have nothing nice to read. Every last book was shit,” Kyungsoo said and wrote at the same time, changing the word ‘shit’ to ‘bad’ at the last second because he wasn’t sure if Jongin would be genuinely insulted by it.   
“Get nicer clothes and better books,” Kyungsoo wrote, ink smearing all over the page when he pressed down too hard.   
“And a pen from my world, if you can,” he added, saying the words aloud.   
“What’s next? Mm… Coming back. Don’t know if I can, not that I don’t want to,” Kyungsoo wrote. “I love spending time with you, you know, but it’s hard to come back ‘cause I’ve got homework and school back home,” Kyungsoo elaborated to Jongin.   
He tapped the pen on his chin, wondering what else he might need to say to Jongin.   
“Sex is another thing. You are very sexy, I have to say, and I am very un-sexy. The proof is that I am still a virgin, and you are probably not, so…” Kyungsoo contemplated writing out everything he just said, but hesitated when he wrote the first letter.  
“I probably won’t be much at it, Jongin, I have to warn you. You’re the first of everything, and that includes doing it. You would probably be my first, ‘cause there’s no one else around…” Kyungsoo blushed at his ramblings. Thank God there weren’t any sound recorders here to tape everything he just said.   
“Also, being a mate.” Kyungsoo finished off ‘sex’ with an unsteady hand and wrote the next point as ‘mates.’   
“No idea what it truly entails in being a mate to a guy like you. I’ve heard about soul mates, so I’m assuming I’m your destined one and all that jazz. Am very pleased to know that you were meant for me, so that you have a reason to love me,” Kyungsoo wrote furiously, wrist cramping.   
“What else? We could talk music, but my iPod’s dead,” Kyungsoo found it in the room earlier in the day, evidently forgotten by him when they left for Europe. The screen was black with his earphones wound around it neatly, but he still felt a sense of homecoming; he had made it back safely from a nest of vampires after all.   
“There’s this song that kinda reminds me of you, now that I think about it,” Kyungsoo mused. He wrote down Night Changes by One Direction, embarrassed that 1D had somehow found their way into Kyungsoo’s list of ‘Things We Need to Talk About.’  
“In the song, there’s one part where Zayn or whoever sings, ‘doesn’t it ever drive you crazy, just how fast the night changes…’ And then it’s like, ‘It will never change me and you,’” Kyungsoo sang absentmindedly.  
“Fuck, it’s so cheesy,” he squealed, toes curling as he cancelled it off the list, black lines scrawled through the words.   
“I’m honestly praying you’re not listening to all this,” Kyungsoo said, leaning back against the headboard. “And I know that you’re probably off in Dreamland, slaying vampires and zombies in the name of honour but just so you know…”  
Kyungsoo looked down at Jongin. “I like you. I really do. Isn’t love overrated? I like you and who you are, that’s what matters more than love. Love comes after, I think, like how parents are supposed to love their kids but they don’t necessarily like them. You know?”   
Then he laughed, shaking his head. “Who am I kidding? I’m in love with you. And I like you. Now that’s something. You and your crap book collection.”  
He slid down into the sheets, rubbing a hand over his face. Kyungsoo didn’t even understand what he was saying anymore, fatigue starting to set in his bones.   
“Well, I guess I’m gonna join you in slaying dragons now. I noticed that Yifan had dragons carved into his seat, so it stands to reason that you probably don’t like dragons, now do you?” Kyungsoo yawned.   
“If you wake up now, I’ll give you a kiss,” Kyungsoo whispered in his ear. He cuddled up to Jongin, wrapping the blanket around the both of them. “I swear, I’ll let you kiss me as hard as you want,” Kyungsoo said experimentally.   
It was unfortunate for Jongin, Kyungsoo thought, that he didn’t wake up. “I love you, Kim Jongin. Thank you for everything you did for me for the past few days. In return, lots of xoxo when you wake up. Promise,” Kyungsoo pulled up Jongin’s hand from under the sheets and made a pinkie swear to him.   
“So wake up soon, okay?” Kyungsoo pecked his cheek, putting his head on Jongin’s shoulder and closing his eyes.  
Beneath the sheets, Jongin’s finger twitched just once.  
*  
In the morning, Kyungsoo woke up blearily eyed beside Jongin, who hadn’t moved an inch since last night, to his disappointment. There wasn’t much Sun outside, making it difficult for Kyungsoo to guess what time it was.   
“Hey,” Kyungsoo muttered, giving Jongin a little shake. “Wake up and tell me what time it is. I’ve never been good at telling time with the winter sun,” Kyungsoo said.  
Apart from mussing up Jongin’s hair, he had achieved nothing. In all honesty, Kyungsoo was hoping for Jongin to wake up at his voice, like some sappy romance movie. But life wasn’t a movie, and Kyungsoo certainly wasn’t a super star.   
He got out of bed, piling the sheets over Jongin to keep him warm. Someone had cleared the room already, the papers he had scribbled on set on Jongin’s desk in a neat pile. His tray of food from last night had been swept away too, leaving in its wake a bowl of lukewarm water for him to wash up in.   
Splashing water in his face, he wondered about how Chanyeol was doing. Was he resting up fine? Was he infected with a weird disease from Europe? As selfish as it might sound, he wanted Chanyeol to be weak and unable to travel, just for one more day. It would be an excuse to stay that much longer, to stay by Jongin’s side and to be there when he woke up.   
Sadly, this was not the case when he walked into the dining hall for breakfast and was greeted by a face splitting smile from Chanyeol. “Hey, Kyungsoo!” Chanyeol waved madly at him despite being only two feet away from him. There was no sign of him ever being drained of his own blood, his skin glowing healthily and demeanour as cheerful as ever. Only a few nicks and cuts on his arms indicated he was ever injured.  
“Has Kai woken up yet?” Chanyeol asked. Kyungsoo blinked at him. “Did you already tell him everything?” Kyungsoo asked, turning to Baekhyun. “’Course I did, he’s my boyfriend,” Baekhyun said nonchalantly, putting an arm around Chanyeol.   
“Wouldn’t it be better to slowly break it to him?” Kyungsoo asked, letting a servant girl serve him a plateful of food.   
“Grapefruit juice for you, sire?” she asked him, an expectant smile on her face. “Uh, no. Anything but that will be fine,” Kyungsoo laughed sheepishly. She looked bewilderedly at him, as if she’d expected him to love everything Jongin would.   
“I think it’s better to open the gates and let the information flood over him,” Baekhyun replied, lifting and eyebrow at the servant as she walked away. “What’s that about?”  
“Nothing, I think she expected me to be a carbon copy of Jongin, but with my face,” Kyungsoo shrugged. “Anyway, Chanyeol, no, Kai hasn’t woken up yet from his brain dead coma so I don’t think I’ll be able to say goodbye before we leave,” Kyungsoo said, getting back into the conversation.   
“Aw, shucks. Well, it’s good that you finally found someone,” Chanyeol said, in that self-righteous tone every non-single person would use on a singleton. “Um, thanks,” Kyungsoo returned. “So I take it that you’ll be well enough to ride by this evening?”  
“We could always stay a little longer if you want,” Baekhyun replied. “I know you’re probably miffed about Kai not being able to wake up in time to see us off.”  
“No, it’s okay. We have our own lives to get back to, after all,” Kyungsoo said with a shake of his hands. “Kyungsoo. We’re not gonna be back anytime after this. Don’t you want to say goodbye to him properly?” Baekhyun asked, fondling the back of Chanyeol’s neck.   
“It’s fine. He would probably want me to go,” Kyungsoo mumbled. Baekhyun just looked at him and let it slide.   
None of them said anything more about the subject after that, and when Luhan came for breakfast Kyungsoo let the events of last night wash over him, Luhan telling Kyungsoo everything that happened the night before.   
“It was madness last night, I tell you. Did you know vampires can get drunk? I certainly learned something new. Jongdae was so drunk, he climbed onto the table and did a traditional European dance for us. Bottomless.” Kyungsoo cringed at the image.   
“Then Sehun joined in and all hell broke loose; he and Jongdae got into a fight over who could do the dance better, and there was blasts of magic flying everywhere before I even knew what was happening…”   
Kyungsoo shook his head, listening to Luhan. He recovered quite well from what sounded like an all-nighter, Kyungsoo thought. He looked just as fresh as he did when he first met him. “Is Sehun sleeping now?” Kyungsoo asked.   
“Yes, in my room. I must say, he did not disappoint in the bedroom department—”  
“Too much, Luhan, too much,” Kyungsoo held up a hand in his face. “Why is it too much? You’re going to have to share all this with us when you consummate with my brother soon enough—”  
Kyungsoo squealed, putting his hands over his ears. “No, no, no, not this again, no,” he said loudly. “Kyungsoo, don’t be bloody ridiculous,” Luhan said, a little insulted.   
“No, you don’t be bloody ridiculous. We’re not Baekhyun and Chanyeol! I don’t want to share any of my sexual escapades. Not that I’ve ever had any,” Kyungsoo added hastily. “That’s not what I gathered, based on that time when you were in the hot spring with my brother,” Luhan smiled innocently.   
“You’re so voyeuristic. I’m going back into my room to see if Jongin’s woken up yet,” Kyungsoo said, leaving his unfinished meal on the table. “Big word,” Luhan remarked.  
“’S not healthy to skip breakfast!” Baekhyun called out at him. Kyungsoo ignored him, walking back to Jongin’s room.   
“Morning, sire,” Eunyoung greeted him when she spotted him in the hallway as he was walked past a darkened room. Kyungsoo glanced at the bed and saw Yixing’s sleeping figure, blankets and pillows flung everywhere. “Hi. What happened in there?” Kyungsoo asked. Eunyoung came out of the room with a pile of dirty laundry.   
“Oh, the young sire just took to spirits too well,” she laughed, closing the door. “I didn’t manage to ask you about the European trip yesterday. Is it true that Master was poisoned?”  
“Yeah, he did it for me,” Kyungsoo replied, feeling guilty. He briefed her on everything that happened on their trip but conveniently went over the part where he argued with Jongin.   
“The King was actually pretty good looking, but so was everyone else in Europe,” he said, walking slowly to match Eunyoung’s pace.   
“Are they all like Jongdae and Sehun?” Eunyoung blushed.   
“Kind of, but Yifan was like, way above them. A whole other kind of handsome entirely. I think I get how he managed to lead the Purge, y’know, now that I’ve seen him. He just had this aura, like you wanna do everything he tells you to. It was disconcerting, I’d say.”  
“Ah. Do you prefer King Yifan over… Master?” Eunyoung asked.   
Kyungsoo lifted an eyebrow. “Prefer him? No way. Jongin’s fine,” Kyungsoo laughed. Yifan was handsome, but he was like the Sun, burning all the moths in the morning. He was far too bright for his own good, while Jongin was just the right kind of bright. Like early morning light, he thought. Gentle and welcoming.   
Back in his room, Jongin still hadn’t moved, which was what Kyungsoo predicted. The room was scattered with arbitrary items like clothes and weapons, Eunyoung having to come in to unpack for Jongin. He sat down on the bed and brushed a hand over Jongin’s face, sighing.   
“Your brother is a pain in the ass. I don’t know how you deal with him. I miss you, Jongin. Wake up soon,” Kyungsoo said, feeling his chest tighten and he tried to think of something else. Anything but the fact that he would be leaving him again, and this time it would be for real.   
Looking over at the papers on the table, he decided to write Jongin a proper letter, one where One Direction would not be involved. Glancing down at him, “Jongin, I’m going to write you a goodbye letter. Hopefully, you’ll be so overwhelmed by sadness and you’ll cry over it. Not that I want you to be sad though… it’d be nice to know you’ll miss me anyway,” Kyungsoo smiled at his sleeping figure.   
Sitting down at his desk, he picked up the fountain pen and wrote a pretty letter this time, in his best writing and everything that he wanted to say to Jongin, basing everything off of his list.   
“Dear Jongin,   
It’s Kyungsoo here. If you’re reading this, then congrats! You’re finally awake now, and you’re probably wondering where I am. Well, for your information, I’m at home, most likely thinking of you. It’d be nice to see you there but… like I said; you’d be difficult to explain to my parents. I can’t very well say you’re the King of Lycanfort, and on top of that, it’s illegal to be in contact with a Tainted being, even if you’re not one of those from the Uprising.   
Okay, so now that I’ve said too much, let me start off with some things we were going to talk about when we came back. First things first: us.   
It hurts to think about being away from you, Jongin. It does. And as much as I love you, I don’t know how to be with you, with one foot in my world and the other here with you. I know the right thing to do is to leave my world, but I can’t do it. I’m sorry. I’ve said it so many times that it’s starting to get old, but that’s the bottom line. I can’t leave my family, just as you can’t leave your kingdom to be with me either.   
Maybe we aren’t that lucky. Speaking of which, being mates.  
How are we mates? I don’t get it, and I’m not going to ask Luhan about it. He’s going to say too much about being intimate and not about how it defines us.   
Why are we mates? Are we meant for each other? Has the gods answered my prayers of finding someone who loves me, because I think it’s a pretty sick joke, putting us in two different worlds. I believe you when you say you love me, but how are we going to live when time doesn’t even pass the same way in our worlds?  
In my list attached, I think you’ll find the word sex there, but I’ve decided to skip that, since we’re probably not going to see each other soon. For what it’s worth, I wish you’d have been my first. I can promise you though, that I won’t ever fall in love with someone else, not anytime soon. I wouldn’t know how to get over you, and I wouldn’t know how be with anyone else but you.   
I’m praying that you’re not mad at me for leaving you. Again. But don’t be too sad. I’m sure another mate will come over sometime in your life. I’m just a human, and if you think about it, your lifespan is incredibly long compared to mine. What could I give you in those years? Not much, in my opinion.   
I guess I’ll stop here. I love you, Jongin, very much so. It isn’t that hard to like you, or love you. In another life, if I was someone else, I would follow you anywhere, Jongin. I’m going to miss you a lot by the time you read this. I’m sorry for the past mistakes I’ve made, and sorry because I can’t—am not your future. Thank you for loving me.  
P.S: Don’t think of looking for me because you’ll be shot down with silver bullets if anyone realizes what you are in my world. I’m not worth dying for, so don’t be dumb.   
Love, Kyungsoo.”  
Kyungsoo put down the pen, rubbing at his red eyes. He tried not to let any of his tears drip onto the letter, but a few plopped down on his name, diluting the ink and spreading it all over. He looked over at Jongin, who was still sleeping, even after he took so long to write the letter.   
Kyungsoo sniffed, folding the letter and writing Jongin’s name on it, propping it up on his desk and going over to Jongin.   
“I love you, Jongin. I do. Please wake up and tell me you love me too,” Kyungsoo pleaded, lying on the bed beside him. Tears soaking into the pillow, Kyungsoo considered slapping him awake, but that’d be rude.   
“Jongin. Please? Wake up,” Kyungsoo said half heartedly. “Or I’ll leave, and you’ll be hurt over the fact that I left without waiting.” Kyungsoo said, pecking him on the lips.  
Jongin’s still body did not respond.   
*  
In the evening, Kyungsoo, Luhan, Baekhyun, and Chanyeol rode out to the Portal.  
Kyungsoo had put off going home for as long as he could, letting the Sun climb its way up into the sky and back down until Baekhyun came banging on his door, yelling, “Mr. Party Pooper, I thought you wanted to go home!”  
“I don’t want to,” Kyungsoo pouted, muttering the words softly. He had spent the whole afternoon rearranging Jongin’s book shelf, arranging them by genre and height. He hoped Jongin would notice, and made sure the letter was propped up steadily on the desk so that he could see it when he woke up.   
Getting off the horse, Kyungsoo flung his arms around Luhan for a hug, his jasmine scented hair tickling his nose. “You’ll be back, right?” Luhan whispered, patting his back.   
“I don’t know,” Kyungsoo said, pulling back to look at him apologetically. “But what about being here for my brother? Kyungsoo, he won’t be able to take it once he wakes up,” Luhan protested.   
Kyungsoo wanted to cry and shout, wanted to shake Luhan by the shoulders and say, “Yes, I know, because I won’t be able to forget him too!” But there was no point shouting; he had to grow up and be a man about it. “Tell him I said sorry,” Kyungsoo mumbled.   
“I will, but I don’t know if it will suffice,” Luhan said, brushing back Kyungsoo’s hair gently, the act familiar. Luhan must’ve learned it from Jongin, Kyungsoo thought, looking into his wistful, brown eyes. “Hope you have fun with Sehun,” Kyungsoo laughed weakly, looking away from Luhan’s eyes. They reminded him too much of Jongin’s eyes, so warm and gentle.   
“Oh we will,” Luhan laughed as well. He turned to say his goodbyes to Baekhyun and Chanyeol while Kyungsoo looked around Lycanfort one last time.   
The fresh smell of mildew, the soft grass on the ground… It felt so much like home, even though his town was nothing like this. Something, an inexplicable something about Lycanfort was magic, not unlike the blue lights of Jongdae’s magic, but something much more personal to Kyungsoo.   
I’ll miss this, Kyungsoo breathed. All of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yifan was the embodiment of a queen bitch. Regal, royal, cruel... He really is my bias.


	8. I need you, I breathe you (i'll never leave you)

Kyungsoo flicked through the CDs lined on the shelf, chewing gum absently. Behind him, Baekhyun and Chanyeol bickered over which album they should purchase together with their shared money.

“I want Bastille!” Chanyeol held out the CD at Baekhyun’s face. “But I want Britney!” Baekhyun whined back at him.

Kyungsoo rolled his eyes, picking up Ariana Grande’s CD. “One Last Time, Why Try, Break Free…” he read out to himself. _Sounds good_ , he thought. Most of the songs were break up material, and he figured he’d need some new songs to cry over. “I’m getting this CD guys. Are you gonna decide on a CD or not?” Kyungsoo asked Baekhyun and Chanyeol.

“No, we’re not done yet. Just go ahead and pay for your own CD first, we’ll be done in a sec,” Baekhyun glared at Chanyeol. Kyungsoo understood at once, and went on to the cashier to pay for the CD.

 Whenever Baekhyun said, ‘We’ll be done soon,’ what he really meant was, ‘I’m not going to leave until I get what I want, even if it takes a million years.’ If Chanyeol treasured their physical relationship, he would give in sooner or later. If he was foolish enough to argue, he wasn’t going to get anything from Baekhyun except some of his own right hand for the rest of the week.

As he lined up behind an elderly lady holding a One Direction CD, Kyungsoo couldn’t help but think about Jongin once more.

They had left Lycanfort and arrived back in their own world, only a few hours having passed for them. Chanyeol’s mother was relieved to see her son was still alive and well, no sign of visible injury. Baekhyun and Kyungsoo had lied to her and the authorities, saying something along the lines of how he got lost in the fields and fell into a ditch. The rest of the details, they made up as they went along.

That was yesterday, but Kyungsoo was already depressed, more than usual over Jongin. Baekhyun had insisted on inviting him to go out for ice cream after Baekhyun had found Kyungsoo at home a few hours ago, curled up into a ball in his room while listening to Lana Del Rey’s Old Money on repeat, but that somehow had evolved into a visit to the only CD store in town.

 _Must’ve been quite some time already for him_ , Kyungsoo thought. _Wonder if he’s woken up yet._ _Has he already gone back to routine? Did he read my letter?_

There was no sign of him so far, but maybe Kyungsoo was hoping for too much. After all, he did tell Jongin not to search for him. Kyungsoo wasn’t too keen on taking nightly walks anymore, either. What if they met each other on one of his walks? Would time have already healed Jongin’s wounds, or would he be pouring lemon juice over an open cut? It seemed wrong to tempt Jongin into thinking there could be something more for them when there was clearly nothing else.

An hour later, they finally left with a Britney Spears CD and walked down two blocks for ice cream, picking out their favourite flavours. Twice out on the street, Kyungsoo could’ve sworn he saw Jongdae, but whenever he looked closely, there was no one there. _I’m going crazy_ , Kyungsoo thought. It was a possibility that Jongdae could be around, but it was daytime. If he was truly there, Kyungsoo would’ve only seen him at night.

 _I have to stop thinking about Lycanfort_ , Kyungsoo admonished himself _. It wouldn’t do any good to think of what we could’ve been._ Kyungsoo tried desperately not to think of all those what if’s had he stayed in Lycanfort, but there was no escaping the memories, even as he sat there in the ice cream store, poking at his boysenberry ripple ice cream with a plastic spoon.

Flashes of Jongin’s face kept flickering behind his eyelids, his hands all over Kyungsoo like that time in the hot spring. If he closed his eyes and concentrated, he could almost feel Jongin’s hand brushing down his left cheek.

“ _Min kjærlighet…”_

Jongin’s voice rang in his ears like a melody that he couldn’t get out of his head. There was no way he could ever forget the timbre in Jongin’s voice, the low, husky tone at the back of his throat whenever he spoke quietly.

“ _Min kjærlighet…”_

A loud snap of the fingers brought Kyungsoo crashing back down into reality, and Baekhyun waved a hand over his face. “Hey! Kyungsoo! You all right?” Baekhyun asked, sitting down in front of him while Chanyeol handled the bill at the counter.

“Yeah, I was just…” Kyungsoo mumbled, looking down at his ice cream. “Thinking about… him?” Baekhyun guessed.

Kyungsoo nodded. “But never mind me. What happened when I left your place? Your mother looked like she was ready to commit murder, and by that I mean _your_ murder,” Kyungsoo said, a little too brightly. Baekhyun noticed as well. How could he not, when he knew Kyungsoo was never ‘too bright’.

“Well… You left after walking me home and so my mom almost beat me up for being out the whole day. She’d thought that we’d been kidnapped too but of course that wasn’t true at all,” Baekhyun laughed light heartedly. “I’ve been grounded, but she and dad left town to visit my granny in the mountains. Never liked hiking,” Baekhyun scoffed, scooping out some mint chocolate chip ice cream into his mouth.

“Yup, so Baekhyun’s staying with me for company. And protection,” added Chanyeol, who dropped his change and receipt on the table to consequently grab Baekhyun’s face and attempt to suck it off.

“It’s like watching an octopus making out with a vacuum cleaner,” Kyungsoo said flatly, trying to put the sounds they were making out of his head. He was fairly sure making out with Jongin wasn’t this noisy or violent, with arms flailing and hair pulling everywhere. Kyungsoo had forgotten why he never wanted to go out with just the both of them, but suddenly he remembered why. They were prone to too much PDA and too little conversation, and it was by luck (depending on the way you look at it) that the ice cream store was empty except for them.

“Can we—can we not go through this every time I go out with you guys? I swear, I’ll bring a date the next you invite me out,” Kyungsoo threatened, but his threats were ignored as Baekhyun pulled Chanyeol’s beanie off.

“Okay, I’m going home. Thanks for the ice cream,” Kyungsoo called out, getting up to go to the door. The girl behind the counter had a perplexed expression on her face, and he hurried over to the exit before she could think of complaining to him. Baekhyun broke off the kiss with a wet sound, turning over to wave at Kyungsoo. “Bye! I might come over to pick you up for a sleep over and—” Chanyeol kissed Baekhyun while he was talking, cutting off his sentence.

“Don’t bother if the itinerary for the sleep over is just eating each other’s faces,” Kyungsoo called back crossly. There was hardly a day where Baekhyun and Chanyeol could keep their hands off of each other, and Kyungsoo was prepared to bet the sleep over wasn’t going to be any different from now. Kyungsoo left the ice cream store, heading home with a half empty ice cream cup and a plastic bag with Ariana Grande’s CD in it.

He was hoping that her songs would be good, because his music library was starting to get old, and it would be nice to have something new _. Anything to keep Jongin off my mind_ , Kyungsoo thought forlornly.  

Humming Problem to himself, he was turning a corner into his street when Kyungsoo crashed into someone, falling over backwards with his things flying everywhere.

“I’m so sorry,” the other person said apologetically, pulling him up with surprising strength and dusting him off. Kyungsoo rubbed his lower back gingerly; there would probably be a bruise there when he got home.

“It’s okay, I wasn’t in my right mind either,” Kyungsoo said, before looking up at familiar red eyes.

 _Is it Jongin?_ He inhaled sharply. But Jongin didn’t have red eyes, and he wasn’t supposed to look for him.

“Jongdae?” Kyungsoo said in disbelief, and maybe with a little disappointment. Jongdae smiled at him, eyes crinkling up into red crescents.

“Been seeing me for a while, haven’t you?” he asked, patting him. “But how are you—your eyes—” Kyungsoo stuttered, pointing at him.

“Don’t worry, I cast a spell over myself. And sunglasses can be very useful,” Jongdae said nonchalantly, flicking out a pair of Ray-Ban’s out of his coat and putting them on. With dark shades, he looked like a hip and fashionably guy, out to meet his girlfriend or for a quick lunch meeting.

“Why are you here?” Kyungsoo blurted out, his brain having malfunctioned at the sight of anything to do with Lycanfort in his own world.

“Is that the kind of greeting I get after casting a very difficult spell over myself to see you?” Jongdae tutted.

“I didn’t think that you would come back,” Kyungsoo replied, picking up his CD. A piece of the plastic cover had broken off, but the CD was fine, and Kyungsoo exhaled in relief. He deemed his ice cream was a lost cause, since most of it was splattered all over the sidewalk and tossed the cup into the nearest bin.  

“Well, I wasn’t going to, but since the King insisted—”

Kyungsoo shushed him hurriedly, putting a finger to his lips. “Don’t talk about them in public like that! Could you come over to my place or something?” Kyungsoo hissed, looking around to see if anyone had heard what Jongdae said.

“I don’t know if Kai would like that,” Jongdae replied, pushing Kyungsoo’s hand away. Kyungsoo rolled his eyes.

“We’re not together anymore so it’s none of his business anyway. C’mon, my place is just around the corner,” Kyungsoo said, patting Jongdae’s arm. He walked the rest of the way home with Jongdae tagging along.

“Do I have to invite you in?” Kyungsoo asked on the way.

“No. What gave you that idea?” Jongdae laughed. “Say, has Suho found his mate yet, ‘cause I wouldn’t mind one night with him and his… oh, how do you say this? Righteous morals,” Jongdae lifted his eyebrows in question.

“Um. No idea,” Kyungsoo shrugged. “And I never knew you liked Suho,” he arched an eyebrow at Jongdae.

“I didn’t at first, but then he carried me back to my room after a very tiring party, and I can’t say that I don’t remember how his big arms felt underneath all that linen,” Jongdae smiled slyly in the memory.  

Kyungsoo didn’t answer. The truth was, he wasn’t sure if he could ever look at anyone the same way anymore.

At Kyungsoo’s place, Jongdae decided he would swoop in from his window (“Like Twilight,” he had laughed) to avoid casting another spell to mask his eyes, and to avoid Kyungsoo’s parents. “It’s just easier,” he had said, going around to the back of the house.

Kyungsoo, on the other hand, entered his home as he normally would, kicking his shoes off and stopping by the fridge to get a glass of water.

“Kyungsoo, is that you?” his mother trilled from the kitchen. She was making kimchi, with big rubber gloves on and a big tub of halfway done kimchi on the table. “Who else can it be?” he muttered.

“It could’ve been your brother,” his mother replied haughtily. He said nothing, sipping at his water while he watched his mother’s hands squish about in the tub, rubbing salt and spice all over the large leaves of the vegetable. Pretending to poke about the kitchen for a snack, he lingered there for five minutes or so before his mother shooed him away.

“I’m off to study now,” he called to his mother as he walked back to his room. She would usually leave him alone if he feigned homework, and that should give him enough privacy to chat with Jongdae. _I wonder what Jongin has to insist about for Jongdae to come all the day to see me_ , Kyungsoo wondered.

Locking the door for extra precaution, he went over to the window to pry it open, sliding it all the way up. Some of the cold air billowed in, and he peeked out, looking for Jongdae. “Window’s open,” Kyungsoo called out, looking at the bushes and trees. There was no Jongdae in sight, but then he heard, “Get out of the way then,” and he stepped aside.

Jongdae practically flew in, landing on his feet like an agile cat. There was a thump as he landed, but thankfully it was muffled by the sound of the television outside.

Kyungsoo took his jacket off while Jongdae shut the window, pushing it down and locking it. “So what’s this about? I didn’t think I’d ever see any of you guys again,” Kyungsoo said, taking a seat at his study table to look at Jongdae. Jongdae glanced around his room, plain and simple, with no real indication of who the owner was. He sat on the bed, leaning back against the wall.

“Your room’s kinda plain,” Jongdae remarked. “Sorry it isn’t a replica of Luhan’s room,” Kyungsoo scoffed, turning on the CD player. Might as well test the CD out. “And seriously, can you just tell me why you’re  here?”

“Maybe I wanted to visit you for the pleasure of your company?” Jongdae smiled. “Suho doesn’t live here, sorry to say,” Kyungsoo replied dryly. He placed the CD into the player, pressing play.

“Oh, fine. I was having a fine time with Yixing back in Lycanfort, when I heard rumours of the vampires planning an attack on Lycanfort. ‘Course, this wouldn’t have gotten me worried, since Europe is constantly making threats to Kai all the time, except this time, Kai is um…” Jongdae paused, seemingly unsure on how to continue.

“How long have I been gone?” Kyungsoo asked. “About a week or so. And yes, Kai has woken up… unfortunately.”

“Why ‘unfortunately’?” Kyungsoo frowned. The CD started playing, and Kyungsoo turned it up just a little bit, in case their conversation was too loud. “And when did he wake up?”

“A day after you left. I heard about what happened back when we were on our way to Europe. And so has the entire kingdom, even though they’re kinda baffled as to why you’re not by Kai’s side right now. Before I tell you this though, didn’t Luhan tell you everything about being a mate to a lycan?” Jongdae asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

“Didn’t he? He just told me that Jongin would be really clingy, and that we would have this fabulous chemistry between each other,” Kyungsoo replied.

It dawned on Jongdae then, that Kyungsoo was a little under informed, so to speak. He chuckled, looking away from Kyungsoo. “Oh God, what did Luhan miss this time?” Kyungsoo asked flatly, folding his arms.

“Well, he did skip the part where Kai has an eternal longing for you, as long as you both are alive. Doesn’t matter if you’re in another world, his soul knows that you’re out and about somewhere, feels your presence like an internal burn on his organs. Particularly since you haven’t been Claimed yet,” Jongdae said, feeling pity for Kyungsoo.

“I must say, this is quite a prank. Luhan hasn’t just been playing you, but he’s teasing Kai as well, by doing this, letting you ping here and there like a stretched rubber band. Are you sure he didn’t tell you _anything_?”

“No, he didn’t tell me any of that. I thought being a mate was like how Purebloods fell in love, except we’re—y’know. Made for each other and all that shit.” Kyungsoo’s cheeks turned pink.

“So what’s wrong with Jongin now, is he crippled with pain or something?” Kyungsoo asked. If he ever met Luhan again, he was going to have to murder him once and for all.

“Um, you could say that. And since he’s moping about all day and night, he can hardly rule the country, let alone lead a war, if there’s one.”

“But, can’t he just find someone else?” Kyungsoo asked, worried about Jongin. “Can _you_ find someone else?” Jongdae replied calmly.

“Is there anyone you can think of, who can love you and make you feel so ooh la la about everything? I’m guessing your answer is no, and it applies to Kai too. You don’t feel the connection between the two of you stretched taut as much as he does, ‘cause you’re not a lycan, but trust me,” Jongdae said, holding out a hand. “He’s hurting,” Jongdae finished, examining his nails.

“Besides, the only way another mate can come around for him is for you to die. And even then, it’d take hundreds of years for someone else to come along.”

Kyungsoo wasn’t sure if he could do anything about that. “Isn’t there any other way for Jongin to get over me? I can’t just go back there again—”

“Sure you can, just say the word and I’ll Portal us back to Lycanfort. It’s what I’m here for,” Jongdae cut in. “But there’s still a life here for me to handle! I actually have to study—”

“Look, Kyungsoo, I’m not here to convince you to go. To be honest, I’m here just to Portal you back. Luhan sent me here, interrupting my visit to the castle,” Jongdae huffed. “And I am wasting time here on you when I could be staring at Suho’s angelic face.”

“Oh.” So Jongdae wasn’t here to force Kyungsoo back into Lycanfort, merely implying that he was needed there. But still. There was a lot of planning to be involved if he was going to go back to Lycanfort. He would have to ask Baekhyun to cover for him, and to pack some of his clothes. He wasn’t going to wear any of Jongin’s clothes if he could help it, oh _hell no_.

“By any chance, could you come back tomorrow?” Kyungsoo asked apprehensively. “I’ve got things to do, and it wouldn’t be okay if I just—”

“Nope. You either say yes or no now, and if you change your mind, then use the Portal you originally came through from. I’ve got things to see, people to do…”

Ariana was singing in the background as Kyungsoo considered his answer. “I think I’ll have to say no,” he replied slowly. He would just wait this one out for now; maybe it was just a phase. Jongdae seemed to read his mind and said, “Just don’t take too long tomorrow. The full moon is coming up in Lycanfort soon, and well, let’s just say you wouldn’t want to be near Kai by then,” Jongdae said, getting up.

“Where are you going?” Kyungsoo asked, bewildered.

“I just came to tell you what’s important. Go on and sort out whatever it is you have to do, and get your ass back to Lycanfort already,” Jongdae began to unlock the window, when Kyungsoo placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Wait. I have a question for you,” Kyungsoo said, biting his lip.

“Oh? Shoot,” Jongdae said, sliding the window up anyway, and sat down on the edge of the window to face him.

“Okay. Um, how is Jongin? Like, really?” Kyungsoo asked. It secretly pleased him that Jongin was missing him the way Kyungsoo was. _He actually loves me_ , Kyungsoo thought, resisting the urge to smile like a stupid fool.

“Was that it? He’s fine physically, if that’s what you mean. As healthy as a horse right now, but I think I overheard Luhan saying something about him keeping up all night. He’s not sleeping well, I can tell you that; even I don’t get such terrible eye bags after staying up for a week,” Jongdae said nonchalantly, as if he was describing the weather in Lycanfort.

“That’s um, sort of terrible for me to hear,” Kyungsoo replied awkwardly. “But you enjoy it, don’t you?” Jongdae said.

“What?”

“You enjoy it. You keep dumping Kai because you know he’s always gonna be there, waiting for you, and when you want him he’s always treating you right—”

“Excuse me, Jongdae, but I have feelings for him too. It’s just that I have priorities—”

“And how important can those priorities be, Kyungsoo? Remember, priorities are set by _you_.” Jongdae poked his chest. “They’re always easy to reshuffle if you think carefully. One day, either one of you is gonna be burying the other, and I don’t think you want to bury Kai, thinking about the lives you could’ve lived together if only you had just _rearranged your priorities_.”

“So are you saying I should just drop my life in this world?” Kyungsoo deadpanned.

“If that’s what you think you should do. It’s not my place to tell you what to do, but think about what I said. I’ve lived for a relatively long time, and if there’s one thing all vampires hate, it’s regrets,” Jongdae said, leaning out of the window and sniffing the wind.

Kyungsoo folded his arms, taken aback by what Jongdae had said so bluntly. _Am I actually stringing him along because I’m not sure about what I want?_ Kyungsoo asked himself.

“Well, if there’s nothing else…” Jongdae trailed off, sounding distracted. With a grunt, he dropped out of the window on his bare hands and flipped himself over. “Friendly reminder, Kyungsoo; don’t take too long,” Jongdae said, placing a glowing hand on the wall.

“What are you doing with your freaky hands?” Kyungsoo asked, watching him draw a symbol below his window. “Giving you a protection spell,” Jongdae replied, taking his hand away. The blue magic on the wall below Kyungsoo’s window lasted for a second before fading. Jongdae winked at Kyungsoo goodbye, and he was gone, walking down the street to join other pedestrians.

That left Kyungsoo with too many thoughts running through his head and too little time to deal with all of them. He had left Lycanfort thinking that he’d never see those green landscapes again, but now here he was, running right back to it.

And what Jongdae said hit home. _“You enjoy it. You keep dumping Kai because you know he’s always gonna be there, waiting for you…”_ Kyungsoo rubbed his arm absently. _Maybe I am treating him badly. But if I am, then shouldn’t I just stay away once and for all?_

His thoughts swirled around his head like a cauldron, whirling in circles until he decided to call up Baekhyun to get a second opinion. He answered on the twelfth ring breathlessly, as if he’d just been for a jog.

“Kyungsoo, I’m in the middle of something at the moment—”

“Can you cover for me while I go back to Lycanfort? Apparently, Jongin’s really beat up and I think I’d better go down there, just to see if he’s alright,” Kyungsoo rubbed at his eyes.

 _“One more time… I promise after that I’ll let you go,”_ Ariana crooned softly.

“I thought you didn’t care. Chanyeol, get off me,” Baekhyun said, and there was a whole lot of shuffling and a bit of mumbling before Baekhyun spoke once more.

“Hey, are you still there?”

“Yeah, it’s just… do you think I’m being mean to Jongin? You know, about leaving him and all,” Kyungsoo asked.

“Fuck yes! You’re a little shit for leaving him when you know he’s so in love with you, but I guess you can’t do much. I know your degree means a lot to you,” Baekhyun said, and Kyungsoo didn’t know if he was supposed to feel affronted or comforted by his reply.

“What the fuck am I supposed to say to my mom anyway? ‘Hey mom, did you know that Tainted beings are civil? By the way, I’m dating a werewolf.’” Kyungsoo said sarcastically.

“Well, maybe not like that. Hint at it first. ‘Mom, I think werewolves are hot.’ It’s all about being subtle.”

“BAEKHYUN.”

“Okay, okay… Yeah, I guess I can cover for you. When do you wanna go over?”

“Tomorrow,” Kyungsoo replied, fiddling with a pen nervously. “Maybe in the afternoon. Wanna walk me to the house?”

“Sure. Just tell me to come over whenever. Can I go back to having sex now?” Chanyeol giggled in the background, and there was a distinct sound of something being smacked.

“Oh, for Christ’s sake, you could’ve just told me you were busy,” Kyungsoo grimaced. “I did!”

“Well fine, I’m hanging up now,” Kyungsoo retorted, ending the call. And just like that, he had virtually bought himself another ticket back to Lycanfort, after less than 24 hours.  

“I can’t believe I’m doing this,” Kyungsoo grumbled to himself. He had had just enough of Lycanfort, but apparently Lycanfort and Jongin couldn’t get enough of him. He found a slip of paper and wrote down a list of things he needed to take, just in case he’d forget.

 _But Jongin…_ Kyungsoo tightened his grip on the pen, losing his train of thought. _I wonder if he’s really as bad as Jongdae says he is._ And what was that about full moon? Jongdae had said ‘you wouldn’t want to be near him.’ Would he be some kind of monster under the influence of the full moon?

 _I guess I’ll find out soon enough_ , Kyungsoo wet his lip.

*

Kyungsoo spent the rest of the day trying to study ahead of his class, but only managed to doodle Jongin’s name all over his notebook, over and over again in different fonts. He wrote his name in block letters, in cursive letters, in italic letters till ‘Jongin’ no longer meant anything.

 _Am I seriously about to head down to Lycanfort? Again?_ He asked himself. _Wouldn’t it save the both of us a lot of pain if one of us just… broke off the connection?_ The CD player stopped, and Kyungsoo replayed Ariana’s album for the fifth time, just to fill the silence.

 _Or do I just want to hurt him, in some sick, sadistic way, like Jongdae said?_ Going to Lycanfort was starting to feel like a bad habit that Kyungsoo couldn’t quite kick.

Then night came, and Kyungsoo was plunged into a fitful sleep.

He dreamt that he was back in Lycanfort, walking through town alone. It was night time, and there was not a single soul around, but there were lights everywhere, floating, dim fireflies. They made him feel less alone, like a friendly presence surrounding him in sepia light. They were insubstantial when Kyungsoo tried to touch them, sifting through his hands and drifting about like intangible grains of sand on a breeze that he could not feel.

He didn’t think much about them though, and continued to walk on. He had a feeling that there was something he was supposed to find, but what it was he couldn’t remember. There was only the words ‘ _de profeterte seg’_ echoing in his mind, the language familiar, but its meaning unknown to Kyungsoo.  

 _Why am I here?_ Kyungsoo thought to himself. As much as he liked Lycanfort, it was like visiting a friend’s home. It didn’t completely sit well with him, didn’t set him at ease as it would if he was at home.

 _I don’t belong here_. At that thought, the lights shifted as one, the movement forced somehow. They floated down a street, guiding him gently by clustering around him, and he followed. What else could he do?

Kyungsoo followed the little lights down a cobblestone street, walking past toy stores and bakeries, jewellery stores and houses. _Where am I going?_ He thought, walking at a leisurely pace. _I have to find something, or someone in this place..._

 _Where is Jongin?_ Kyungsoo suddenly thought, panicked. There was no Lycanfort without Jongin, after all. “Jongin?” Kyungsoo called out instinctively, voice thin and weak.

The lights glowed a little brighter, the colour of a vivid sunset, and there he was, standing before Kyungsoo. A gentle smile played on his lips as he held out a hand to Kyungsoo, an ethereal dream prince of Kyungsoo’s dreams.

“Jongin?”

Kyungsoo stepped forward in his arms, hugging him. Jongin caressed his hair, returning the hug.

“Jongin, I’m sorry for leaving you—” Kyungsoo said, pulling back to look at him. There were lines on his face that Kyungsoo couldn’t remember having seen them there, lending him a gaunt look. Jongin looked strained, as if he had been going through some kind of terrible pressure, his skin pale and stretched over his skull.

“Jongin, are you okay?” Kyungsoo asked, touching his cheek. Jongin’s eyes were sad and longing, pleading for mercy, the kind that Kyungsoo couldn’t hope to give. “Jongin, what’s wrong?” Kyungsoo said softly, still waiting for an answer.

The lights went out suddenly, and with them the dreamlike quality of the atmosphere as darkness shrouded them like a heavy curtain. Only the moon in the sky, almost full, cast an eerie light over them, and Kyungsoo gulped.

Jongin’s arms tightened around Kyungsoo, pressing him to his body flush, every inch of them aligned perfectly. He lowered his head, kissing Kyungsoo softly, sweetly, on the lips, gentle yet yielding in its own way. Kyungsoo kissed him back, his jaw dropping open for Jongin.

“ _Min kjærlighet…”_ His voice echoed in the empty streets, even though he didn’t say anything. Kyungsoo could hardly breathe from the way Jongin was kissing him, his heartbeat accelerating to a sweaty rate.

Jongin pulled back from him first, his eyes glowing a feral yellow. “Jongin?” Kyungsoo said, fear gripping him like a vice. Jongin’s hands were firm on his waist, giving him no leeway to escape.

“ _Min kjærlighet,”_ Jongin said reverently, leaning forward to run his nose down Kyungsoo’s cheek all the way down to his neck, shivers running down Kyungsoo’s spine. His lips nipped at Kyungsoo’s pulse, a droplet of blood forming at the nicked skin.

Kyungsoo could feel blood running down his chest when Jongin said softly against his neck, “ _Min_ _kjærlighet,_ save me _.”_

Kyungsoo’s skin burned wherever Jongin touched, his hands running up and down his body. Jongin mouthed at his jaw, sucking and biting with blunt teeth. “ _Min_ _kjærlighet,_ save me _,”_ Jongin repeated, hands reaching up to cup his face. “Save me from myself, my love,” he said, eyes glowing unwaveringly in the dark.

Kyungsoo’s eyes snapped wide open, his bedroom ceiling staring back at him. The sun was already shining in from his window, annoyingly chipper and bright. Sweat dotted every inch of his skin, soaking his pyjamas and sheets.

He sat up in bed groggily, remembering the dream like a recent memory. What the fuck was it even about? “’Save me’?” Kyungsoo said softly to himself. Jongin had said, ‘save me from myself’. Like a proverb, it didn’t actually mean anything to Kyungsoo, and was as vague as the words ‘ _de profeterte seg’_ from his dream.

He recalled it having been said back in Europe, by Yifan and the man who had guided them into the underground city, but what did it mean? He had never gotten the chance to ask Jongin, and he was too worked up _about_ Jongin to ask anyone else when he was still in Lycanfort about it.

“Ugh, it’s too early in the morning for this,” he said, rubbing his eyes. Kyungsoo stretched languidly before getting out of bed to get into the shower. That was when he noticed the little trail of blood soaked into his shirt.

He ran to the bathroom to look at himself in the mirror, and saw a small cut on his neck, looking more like a bite, the skin around it bruised purple. Dried blood stuck to his neck, and he washed it away with water from the sink, touching the wound carefully. If Kyungsoo didn’t know better, he would’ve thought it was a hickey.

It stung only a little, but it unnerved Kyungsoo that his dream was somehow more than a dream. Maybe it was a sign from God or some other higher power, trying to tell him that Jongin might not be as alright as he thought.

Kyungsoo showered hastily after that, the house silent for some reason. When he came out, he found a note from his mother, saying that his parents had gone out for a ramble with Chanyeol’s parents. She had left him a twenty dollar note for food too, and he scrunched it up into his pocket.

He made a simple breakfast, half boiled egg and a cup of coffee. Kyungsoo was too nervous to eat anything else, and while he waited for the egg to cook, he called Baekhyun.

“Hello?”

“Kyungsoo! You have very bad timing, man, the worst kind. Do you want us to come over now?” Baekhyun hollered down the phone.

“Not now if you’re busy. And I never said Chanyeol could come along. Come over in forty five minutes or so, I still haven’t eaten and packed up.” Kyungsoo dreaded to think what was going on over at Baekhyun’s place when he heard a loud moan.

“Ugh, s-shit... Um, okay, yeah. See you later. And it’s either us or nobody!” Baekhyun groaned. Kyungsoo quickly hung up before they could make any strange sounds. _How disgusting_ , he thought. _Is sex like that with everybody?_ He wondered briefly. Maybe not. Baekhyun and Chanyeol weren’t exactly the best example of a couple.

*

Kyungsoo stood outside his house, the door already locked up and his bag crammed full of miscellaneous items on his back, another in hand. He had been waiting for at least twenty minutes and there was no sign of either Baekhyun or Chanyeol. The cold was starting to get to him, and so was his annoyance.

 _Can’t they ever stop sexing each other up?_ Kyungsoo thought crossly. He took out his phone, dialling Baekhyun’s number. He had called Baekhyun twice already, but with no success. _If he doesn’t pick up this time then I’m walking there on my own_ , Kyungsoo thought, holding the phone up to his ear.

It rang six times before Baekhyun finally picked up, the background noisy. “Hey, Kyungsoo! Sorry we’re late, we had to stop by Chanyeol’s place to grab his car—”

“Chanyeol can’t drive,” Kyungsoo said flatly. That idiot failed his driving exam twice and was on his third attempt to get his license. How they all were supposed to get to the other side of town without crashing into a building, Kyungsoo didn’t know.

“Of course he can! In fact, he’s driving right into your street,” Baekhyun said, hanging up. Kyungsoo looked up to see a blue Daewoo turning into the narrow street with some difficulty. Baekhyun stuck his head out of the passenger seat window, waving at Kyungsoo. Even from twenty feet away, Kyungsoo could hear music blaring from the open windows of Chanyeol’s Daewoo.

“My boyfriend can drive! Can Jongin drive? I don’t think so!!” Baekhyun screamed, laughing hysterically. It was like having a multiple personality disorder patient as a best friend. Kyungsoo sighed, waiting for Chanyeol to stop the car in front of him. Nirvana blasted from the stereo as Chanyeol motioned at him to get in.

“Can you stop yelling and laughing? The neighbours will tell my mom, and she’ll tell your mom and you both will be dead,” Kyungsoo hissed, throwing open the back door. “Relax, no one cares!” Baekhyun said, the car smelling strangely floral and pungent, like smoke and dead flowers.

“Are you guys smoking weed?” Kyungsoo asked, getting in. He hadn’t even shut the door when Chanyeol tore down the street, tyres screeching in protest as he navigated past stray potted plants and rubbish bins.

“Kind of, yeah. Want some?” Chanyeol replied, taking a lit joint out of his mouth and holding it out to Kyungsoo. Baekhyun snatched it, taking a long drag from the joint, burning at least a third of its length away.

“What do you mean, ‘kind of smoking weed’? You either are, or you’re not,” Kyungsoo replied angrily, taking the joint out of Baekhyun’s mouth and throwing it out the window.

Baekhyun’s eyes were wide. “Whoa, you did not just do that, son—”

“I just did, baby, now can you sit down quietly?” Kyungsoo cut in. Baekhyun sat down obediently, if not in shock. He was wearing a loose top with the sides all but sliced open to reveal his fair skin beneath the greyish top. A cardigan was worn halfway up his arms, but other than that and a pair of black skinny jeans, he was not dressed for winter. At all.

  _One of the disadvantages of getting high_ , Kyungsoo mentally noted. You dress badly for no reason.

“How do you even get to that road again?” Chanyeol asked, coughing.

“Take the next turn to the left,” Kyungsoo told him, pointing. Baekhyun leaned his head back on the seat and closed his eyes while Kyungsoo directed Chanyeol to the right area. “Why do I feel so hungry?” Baekhyun moaned.

“It’s the munchies,” Chanyeol replied, sounding much more sober than Baekhyun. Kyungsoo couldn’t say the same thing for his driving though. His turns were too sharp, and he stepped on the oil pedal far too often for far too long to put Kyungsoo at ease.

“If we get pulled over by cops and I don’t get to Lycanfort on time, I swear—”

“You’ll cut off my dick?” Baekhyun continued for him. Kyungsoo left his sentence hanging.

Baekhyun opened his eyes and looked out the window, people and places whizzing by. Colours and shapes meshed together.

“I wonder what he’s doing there—Hey!” Kyungsoo shouted, startled out of his skin. “What’s wrong?” Chanyeol asked, squinting into the rear view mirror. “Keep your eyes on the fucking road and—Jongdae, how the fuck did you get here?” Kyungsoo asked breathlessly.

Jongdae was standing by the road for one second, and the next he was sitting in the tiny space of Chanyeol’s miniature Daewoo, putting on his sunnies. “Whoa, Jongdae, you just… wow, it was like magic, dude,” Baekhyun said in awe, climbing to his knees on the passenger seat to face the back.

“Just a little trick, nothing big. I assume you’re on your way to Lycanfort?” Jongdae smiled pleasantly, peering over the top of his sunnies at Kyungsoo. “There’s a strange odour in this car,” he sniffed.

“Um, yeah. Why, did something happen?” Kyungsoo asked.

“Yeah, did something happen?” Baekhyun parroted. Kyungsoo gave him a condescending look to shut him up.

“Oh, nothing you need to worry about. Because you took so long to decide—”

“Hello, I am on the way, now, aren’t I?” Kyungsoo interrupted. “Yes, you are, but you must keep in mind that another week has passed for Kai. He’s…” Jongdae paused.

“He’s what?” Kyungsoo said.

“Luhan had to lock him up in his room. I can’t say how he is, ‘cause I haven’t seen him since I got back, but he’s in bad shape now, from what I can hear,” Jongdae said, sounding worried. But Kyungsoo couldn’t really tell if his concern was sincere or contrived, since his eyes were shielded from him.

“‘Lock him up’? Why?” Kyungsoo asked, puzzled. To his surprise, when he glanced out the window behind Jongdae, they were already speeding down the road to the abandoned house, the bleak plains stretching out to the right of the Daewoo.

“Lock him up, ‘cause he tried to Portal his way here,” Jongdae replied. “And you told him not to come here, didn’t you?”

“I never said that! I just told him not to look for me,” Kyungsoo almost shouted.

“Same thing,” Jongdae waved a hand. “He only ever came up here just to see you. The full moon is upon him, and you still haven’t been Claimed,” Jongdae said, taking off his sunnies to smile at him.

“I’d say you’re in for a fun time, Kyungsoo,” Jongdae winked, before disappearing. Kyungsoo didn’t even get the chance to ask him for specifics. What was he even going on about ‘fun’ anyway?

The Daewoo came to a screeching stop in front of the abandoned house, dust clouding up at the tyres. “Get out then,” Baekhyun waved at him.

“What, you’re not coming with me?” Kyungsoo exclaimed. Baekhyun shook his head. “Chanyeol has to study and I’m going to help him,” Baekhyun murmured, climbing over to the driver’s seat into Chanyeol’s lap.

Kyungsoo flung the door open, bringing out his bags. “You’d think your best friend would help with the luggage, but no,” Kyungsoo muttered to himself, getting plastic bags out to wrap his things up. He stood with his back facing the Daewoo, trying not to listen to the breathy moans and sloppy sounds they were making.

“Kyungsoo, can you hurry up?” Jongdae’s voice said, tone bored. Kyungsoo looked up at the house, and spotted him looking out of a window.

“Leave me alone,” Kyungsoo gave him the finger, gathering his things up again and entering the house. Kyungsoo felt like a kid with divorced parents, except he wasn’t torn between mom and dad, he was torn between his own world and Jongin’s world. Even as he climbed the stairs and made his way into the house, even as he looked around to see that Jongdae wasn’t around anymore; there was still doubt lingering in his mind.

_Why can’t I stick to a decision?_

Kyungsoo shuffled into the bathroom, dropping his bags into the tub first. He waited patiently, wanting to see how the Portal worked. For a few minutes, nothing happened, except bubbles floating up to the surface from his bags.

He suddenly wasn’t sure if he still wanted to go to Lycanfort. _Don’t be silly_ , said the more practical side of him. _Just get in there already. It’s not like you’ve never done it before._ The irrational side of him though, was screaming internally.

Then the tub bottomed out, his bas sinking down into a dark abyss. Kyungsoo took a step into the tub without thinking, and was swooped down into the tub like gravity, with only a split second to hold his breath.

 _Oh God_ , he thought, looking up as he sank into the Portal. The entrance was disappearing fast, the darkness enveloping him.

 _How will I know when I’m there?_ Kyungsoo thought, none of his bags in sight. The darkness was surprisingly _not_ dark, just a deep blue all around. A tug at his feet had him panicking, and he was overcome with vertigo.

It just didn’t seem right all of a sudden. He was sinking down a minute ago, and now he was sinking the wrong way, at an angle.

Kyungsoo could hardly think, when sparkling light shone at his feet, and the water receded, pushing him towards the light.

 _Lycanfort_ , Kyungsoo realized, before he was spat out of the Portal and onto wet grass.

The wind was bitterly cold and howling in Lycanfort, and he shivered, sitting up clumsily. “Kyungsoo,” he heard someone say, somewhere above him.

He turned around and saw his bags in the hands of Yixing, who sat on Milky’s back, looking down at Kyungsoo somewhat fondly. “Good to finally have you,” Yixing said, relief clear in his voice. “We were starting to think you were never coming back,” Yixing laughed, getting off to help Kyungsoo up.

“Here’s a towel for you,” Yixing said, handing it over to him. “Dry yourself up, and we’ll head to the castle,” Yixing said, folding his arms.

“Nice to see you again,” Kyungsoo said awkwardly, draping the towel over his hair.

“Mm.”

“Did Jongdae tell you I was coming?”

“Yes, he did. He’s at the castle now, with Sehun. They’re playing cards, I think.”

“Oh. And Luhan sent you?” Kyungsoo asked, patting his clothes down. They were damp at best, and that was all he could do for now.

Yixing nodded. “Tell me about Jongin,” Kyungsoo said, putting the towel around his shoulders. Yixing looked uncomfortable at his question.

“He’s… okay, I suppose. You weren’t supposed to leave,” Yixing said, tone accusing. Kyungsoo wanted to roll his eyes.

“I know, I know. But I’m here now, so can we concentrate on that instead?” Kyungsoo said, getting on the horse.

Yixing shrugged nonchalantly and got on the horse, almost kicking Kyungsoo’s face in the process. Kyungsoo sat behind Yixing, tentatively holding onto his shoulders to steady himself. “Only two bags?” Yixing asked over his shoulder.

“Yup,” Kyungsoo replied. Adjusting the bags on his lap, Yixing picked up the reins and soon they were off, galloping at a stomach lurching pace.

Kyungsoo wasn’t sure how Yixing could see his way through the dark when there was no clear guide or path to indicate the way back to Lycanfort, but Kyungsoo supposed it was just some kind of medieval times instinct or whatever. Kyungsoo could hardly tell from north to south, but he trusted Yixing, and the forest cleared up soon enough, the Lycanfort castle looming ahead.

A loud, choked scream from somewhere caught Kyungsoo’s attention though, and he looked around to find the source. Apart from trees and rocks, there was nothing.

“What was that?” Kyungsoo said over the wind to Yixing. “It was Kai!” Yixing yelled back at him.

“Why would he scream like that?”

Yixing glanced over his shoulder sceptically in reply. _What the fuck is going on?_ Kyungsoo thought. Did his dream have anything to do with all this?

“You haven’t been Claimed yet,” was all Yixing said. _But Jongin said that he’d already Claimed me,_ Kyungsoo thought, even more confused than before. _He said he had Claimed me from the day he first saw me._

Throughout the trip back, screams would puncture the silence at intervals, getting louder and louder each time. Kyungsoo felt crushed to think that Jongin was suffering.

At the castle, the atmosphere was tense. Everyone looked on edge, but the minute they laid eyes on Kyungsoo, he could see hope in their eyes, a flicker of recognition and blind faith in him that Kyungsoo would make everything better.

Yixing went off to get Luhan and told Kyungsoo to stay put in one spot until he returned, so Kyungsoo wandered the empty hallway absently. Aside from the occasional servant, there was no one around, and he looked out at the windows, the town just beyond the distance.

It reminded him of his dream, the memory of it still fresh in his mind. Kyungsoo fingered the little bite on his neck absently, proof that it was a vision, rather than a dream.

“ _Min_ _kjærlighet…”_

Kyungsoo whipped around, expecting Jongin to be standing behind him. There was no one.

 _“Min kjærlighet…”_ There was no mistaking Jongin’s voice. It was him, calling to Kyungsoo as he had done in Kyungsoo’s dream. Kyungsoo couldn’t tell if it was in his head or if it was a call that everyone else could hear, but he followed it, his feet leading him down the hallway.

He noticed that there was no longer any screams ringing out, only a dense, breathless silence as he made his way to Jongin’s voice, a breathy mention of his name whispered in his ears.

“Jongin?” Kyungsoo called out, voice thin and weak, just like his dream. He felt hypnotized, like a zombie walking through the castle. His feet turned a corner, and it was an all too familiar hallway.

  _“Min kjærlighet…”_

Kyungsoo went over to Jongin’s door, at least seven locks and a large piece of wood holding the door back. _Why would they do this to Jongin?_ Kyungsoo thought, twisting a lock to open the door. _If he’s in pain then there must be some other way?_

He reached for another lock, and was about to twist the knob to unlock it, when Luhan’s voice called out.

“No, Kyungsoo, don’t!”

Strong arms grabbed him from behind, taking him by surprise. “What—”

A loud scream, this time unmistakably in Jongin’s voice, was audible through the door, sounding more like a desperate shriek. It was deafening, and Kyungsoo’s heart clenched painfully at the thought that Jongin was there, just beyond this heavy slab of wood. Kyungsoo thought he could hear chains rattling inside as the pair of arms pulled him away from the door.

“Kyungsoo, don’t go in there,” Luhan said, appearing in Kyungsoo’s field of vision. His face was streaked with tears, his usually rosy skin blotchy in places.

“Why not?” Kyungsoo asked. He craned his neck to see who was holding him back, and Minseok stared back at him, blinking.

“Didn’t Yixing tell you not to wander off?” Luhan asked, tears rolling down from his eyes. “He did, but I…” Kyungsoo didn’t know what to say. ‘I heard Jongin’s voice in my head calling me so I came here’? No, that wouldn’t go down too well.

“My brother is not himself anymore, Kyungsoo,” Luhan said through his tears, hugging Kyungsoo.

‘Um, you can let me go. I wasn’t about to run away or anything,” Kyungsoo said awkwardly to Minseok. He released his arms and stepped back away from them, Luhan clinging to Kyungsoo like a monkey.

***“ _Forbannelser være med deg, bror!”_ Jongin’s voice roared through the door. _Curses be upon you, brother._

Luhan let go of Kyungsoo abruptly, clearing his throat. “What’d he say?” Kyungsoo asked.

“He doesn’t like me very much right now. I was the one, after all, who had him locked up,” Luhan said, laughing nervously.

“What’s going on, Luhan? I don’t get it,” Kyungsoo frowned. Luhan sighed heavily, sniffing. “Promise you won’t hate me.”

*

Kyungsoo was sprawled on Luhan’s bed, Jongin’s faint screams still audible as Luhan explained everything to Kyungsoo.

“I’m sorry, Kyungsoo, for keeping this from you. In all honesty, I thought Jongin would’ve told you, but he didn’t, and you… I thought you’d be back sooner than this,” Luhan said, wiping snot away from his nose.

Sehun was outside at the balcony, playing cards with Jongdae, although not in the conventional way. They were flinging a deck of cards into the air using magic, trying to make the card fly as far as possible before they lost the ability to control the card from a distance.

“’S okay, I guess. It’s what I’d expect from you,” Kyungsoo side eyed Luhan.

“Look, I did say that Kai wouldn’t last if you left for too long. And what’s more, you told him not to look for him! Have you any idea how this saddened my brother?” Luhan fumed.

“I thought it’d be better if we both never saw each other again,” Kyungsoo muttered petulantly. “And nobody told me he’d become a screaming mess if I left!”

“You should’ve guessed,” Luhan scowled. “And I don’t think you really grasp the meaning of being a mate to him,” Luhan said haughtily.

“Like I said, nobody told me,” Kyungsoo sighed.

“Well fine, I’ll tell you now, since I’ve Imprinted on Sehun,” Luhan said, holding a hand to his chest while looking over at the balcony with adoration.

“Being a mate is more poetic than I thought it’d be. Have you ever wondered what your life would be if you never had, oh I don’t know, your parents, for example?” Luhan asked.

“Well, I’d be pretty damned devastated about it.”

“Okay, imagine that devastation, but sevenfold, and throw in eternal life. That’s how my brother feels right now, Kyungsoo, and you don’t even have to hide the fact that you’ve missed him too.

It is a bleak future to live alone when the world was built for two—”

“Don’t get all Lana Del Rey on me, Luhan, just get on with it,” Kyungsoo interrupted, not exactly willing to allow Luhan to assess his emotions. It was already weird enough that Luhan knew Kyungsoo missed Jongin, ached for him, now that he was only a short distance away.

“Very well, then. How do I put this in words… It’s about finding your significant other, Kyungsoo. It’s about that hole in your chest, the voice in your head insisting that no matter how your life is, there is something missing. Or to be more apt, _someone._

When I saw Sehun that day in Europe, I knew he was the one for me, Kyungsoo. You know it, and you feel it in your soul, down to your bones that he _is_ the one you’ve been waiting for, that someone missing in your heart. I can’t say how it is between you both, since every pair is different, but I’m sure you relate. Don’t you?”

Kyungsoo didn’t know how to react. “Do you know what penguins are?” he asked.

Luhan blinked. “Yes, I do.”

“Are you saying that… everyone has a significant other, and Jongin’s _my_ significant other?”

Luhan nodded. “So he’s my penguin?” Kyungsoo asked.

“I don’t follow.”

“Y’know, penguins only mate once in their life, and once they do, they never leave each other? Are you saying that’s what it’s going to be like between me and Jongin?”

“Ah, yes, it’s very similar. My brother was born into this life for you, to be with you, and in turn, you were born for him as well. It’s been written in the stars from the very beginning of time,” Luhan said kindly.

“Oh. Well, that’s fun. So why’s Jongin locked up?” Kyungsoo asked.

Luhan twiddled his thumbs, avoiding Kyungsoo’s gaze. “That’s the tricky part of this conversation,” he laughed weakly. Kyungsoo glared at him.

“Um, I don’t suppose you might want some tea?” Luhan said. “No, I don’t want tea, I want to know why is my apparently-once-in-a-lifetime mate locked up in his own room, screaming lungs out,” Kyungsoo said flatly.

“I thought so,” Luhan sighed. “Right then, let’s get to it.”

“When werewolves find their mates, they Imprint on their mates. That’s the easy part, since all you have to do to Imprint on your mate is to see them with your own eyes. It’s a strange experience, to Imprint. Suddenly the world isn’t as interesting as you thought it was. Suddenly, _he_ becomes your world, and you would do anything to keep him, even if it means risking your life. It wasn’t that hard with Sehun, since we’ve been in contact for so long, but with you…”

“With you, it’s different. My brother has watched you for so long, and so many full moons have passed since the day he first saw you. He has resisted the Claim for many years, but now, to have you so close and yet still so far, has finally taken a toll on him.

I guessed that it would, sooner rather than later. You see, once he found you, he should’ve Claimed you before the full moon.”

“Dear God, hasn’t he already Claimed me?” Kyungsoo asked, exasperated.

“Er, no. If he had, he wouldn’t be screaming down the hallway like this. You haven’t yet consummated with my brother, have you?”

“Oh my God, why does the equation always come back to sex? Isn’t there anything else that comes with being in a relationship?” Kyungsoo very nearly shouted. Jongin’s screams stopped for a moment, as if he had heard Kyungsoo. Then it picked up again, as loud and hoarse as ever.

“I’m not joking this time, Kyungsoo,” Luhan said, horrified. “Kai is screaming the castle down for you. He _wants_ you,” Luhan said seriously. Kyungsoo wasn’t sure if he was supposed to trust Luhan on this.

“Are you for real?” Kyungsoo asked slowly. He sat up on the bed, the news more than just a little bit appalling.

“Oh God. So you’re saying…? That he— Jongin—?”

“I think Baekhyun would say that my brother is horny for you, but I can’t be too sure.”

“Am I supposed to go in there and do it with him?” Kyungsoo asked softly, feeling embarrassment colour his cheeks. How was one supposed to react this?

“To put it bluntly, yes. But I locked him up because of you,” Luhan said, examining his nails. “With me and Sehun it was alright, since we’re both strong. But you…” Luhan waggled a finger in his direction.

“You’re not as durable, and I don’t know what Jongin would do if he had his hands on you like this,” Luhan finished. Kyungsoo could hear Sehun and Jongdae cheering outside, while he sat on the bed, feeling numb.

“Is this gonna go away once the full moon phase is over?” Kyungsoo asked, biting his lip. Luhan shook his head before he even finished his question.

“It’s not going away, _ever_. Unless you plan on killing him,” Luhan said nonchalantly. “I mean, you can’t expect him to just be in love with you without proving it to you physically.”

“But I’m not ready to be physical with him! He’s—He’s… He is who he is and I’m just not… not the kind you’d wanna…” Kyungsoo gestured to himself eloquently.

“Oh, don’t be silly, Kyungsoo, it’s not about looks or how desirable you are. He just wants you as you are, plain and simple,” Luhan scoffed. Kyungsoo decided to leave it at that, since Luhan was a thousand times better looking than him (and he knew it, too), and wouldn’t understand a single thing about being insecure.

“Okay, okay… So what was with my dreams last night? I dreamt that I was walking around in town and—”

“Oh, that’s the telepathic call,” Luhan said, waving a hand. “Kai can summon you in your sleep, just as you can if you learn the skill. It’s a cute thing actually. You’ll never be apart, even in your dreams,” Luhan said dreamily.

“Well, he did this to me too. Is it normal?” Kyungsoo said, pulling his clothes aside to reveal the small bite on his neck. Luhan squinted at it suspiciously.

“Did he do it telepathically?” he asked, reaching out to touch it. Kyungsoo said yes. “Well, I’ve certainly never heard of this happening to anyone, although it could be because Kai was frantic enough to push the boundaries of the telepathic call.” Luhan took away his hand.  

Kyungsoo tucked his clothes back into place without replying, uncertain. “Are you sure there’s no other way to remedy this?” he mumbled.

Luhan patted his shoulder comfortingly. “No, there isn’t, Kyungsoo, but think of it this way; what if you switched places with him?”

Kyungsoo shuddered. He didn’t blame Luhan for locking Jongin up if his explanation was anything to go by. He also felt sorry for Jongin; he didn’t ask for this and neither did Kyungsoo, but it was the way their cards were dealt with, and Kyungsoo tried to steel himself for Jongin, if not to boost up his courage.

“Fine then. Do I go in now or…?”

“It’s your choice, but I would say not right now. Wait till he’s settled down a bit, now that you’re here. He’ll calm down somewhat when he realizes that you’re here for good.”

Oh dear. Another thing Kyungsoo hadn’t yet confirmed with any of them. Was he going to stay for real this time?

*

At night, Kyungsoo could hardly sleep, afraid of what his dreams would be. If Jongin could give him a little bite when he was in another world, what would he do now that they were both in the same world, under the same roof, and less than a hundred feet away from each other?

 _But it’s so cruel to be away from him like this,_ Kyungsoo thought. He couldn’t tell if it was a placebo effect from everything Luhan had told him, but there was a longing in his heart as well, tearing at his chest. He wanted to see Jongin again, even if it was just a short glance.

Like all humans, he fell asleep at some point, dozing off while sitting upright on a bed in a spare bedroom Luhan had provided. Lucid dreams flickered behind his eyelids without realizing he was asleep until he heard it.

_“Min kjærlighet…”_

Kyungsoo was walking through his dreams once more, well aware that he was dreaming. He dreamt that he was walking through the castles, passing by Luhan’s room and several servants’ quarters, muffled sounds from behind the doors.

Jongin’s voice was steady, sounding rough in his head as he floated to Jongin’s room once more, the locks on the door an obstacle, keeping him away from Jongin.

“Jongin?” Kyungsoo said softly, unlocking one of the locks quietly in case Luhan could hear.

 _“Luhan is a liar. Come and save me, my love,”_ Jongin’s voice said in his head.

 _Yes, Luhan_ is _a liar,_ Kyungsoo thought. _“He wanted to keep you away from me, my love, but I knew you would come to me eventually. Don’t you know how I suffer for you, my love, how I burn for you?”_

Kyungsoo twisted all the locks and soon, there was only the plank of wood across the door left. He shoved it away, letting it fall to the floor noisily.

_“Save me, my love. Come to me…”_

Kyungsoo pried the door open, Jongin’s room dark as he looked in. _“Min kjærlighet,”_ Jongin’s voice called from within.

Hesitating for a moment, he looked over his shoulder. There was no one outside, no one to see, and no one to hear once he was inside…

Kyungsoo entered the room, shutting the door behind him. It shut closed with a low thump, and Kyungsoo blinked rapidly to get used to the darkness. Only the moonlight shone in from the window, casting light over the bed, or at least, what was left of it.

Pieces of wood scattered the ground, feathers littering every surface. The mattress was moved haphazardly to one side, a large rip running across it. Chains rattled and moved somewhere on his left and he turned his head, spotting a dark figure.

“Jongin?” Kyungsoo said softly. The chains rattled once more, and the figure looked up at him, Jongin’s eyes glowing in the dark.

That woke Kyungsoo up, and he blinked again, this time expecting himself to be in his room once more. But there was no blanket over him, no pillows tucked behind him, only stark reality as he realized that he’d been called by Jongin, this time without him realizing it was not a dream at all.

“My love…” Jongin held out his hands. “Don’t go, my love. I need your rescue,” Jongin pleaded. His figure stood upright, straining against the chains.

“But Jongin, you’re… you’re not—” What could he say to Jongin as an excuse now that he was in here? That he didn’t think Jongin was in his right mind anymore? That he wasn’t brave enough to face him?

“Let me see you, _min_ kj _ærlighet,”_ Jongin’s outstretched hands looked too pitiful for Kyungsoo to refuse.

Kyungsoo walked over to him, crossing the distance between them. As much as he was afraid, there was soothing warmth in his chest now that he was in Jongin’s presence.

When he was close to Jongin, he realized that he’d been chained to the wall, shackles on his arms and legs. He touched Jongin’s hands and they were trembling violently, but he linked their fingers together because it was the only thing he could do.

Kyungsoo embraced him, Jongin’s bare skin hot to the touch and sticky with sweat. “I heard you,” Jongin said, hugging him tightly.

“What?”

“I heard you when I was asleep, before you left. I’ve missed you, Kyungsoo my love, everything about you...” Jongin inhaled his scent, kissing him gently on the head.

Then he moved away from him, his unnaturally yellow eyes staring at Kyungsoo with an unfathomable gaze. This Jongin was different, Kyungsoo could tell. There was something more wild and reckless about his air, unlike the usual calm he usually exuded. His heart was racing in his chest as Jongin traced Kyungsoo’s features with a gentle hand, committing his eyes, nose and lips to memory.

“Free me, my love. Spare me these chains, _min kjærlighet._ You know in your heart that I will not harm you,” Jongin breathed, reaching for his hands and holding them.

“But I can’t, Jongin, they said you were—”

“What do they know about us? Would you take their word, my love, or would you take mine, when you know it in your heart that I would never lay a finger on you?” Jongin cut in, gaze firm.

“I don’t know where the keys are,” Kyungsoo said lamely, deploying the only excuse he could think of. “It is on my desk, my love. Take it and unlock these chains, _min kjærlighet,_ ” Jongin whispered.

Kyungsoo was left with no choice but to get up and walk to the desk reluctantly, crossing over books and clothes that were thrown on the floor. It looked like a tornado had swept into the room, leaving destruction in its wake.

He moved torn papers and his letter to Jongin away on the desk, feeling for a key. The letter was the only piece of paper that was intact, most of the ink smeared. He tried not to imagine Jongin crying over it, but the image pushed its way into his head. He picked up a metal key from the table, holding it out to Jongin.

“Yes, that’s the one,” Jongin nodded, voice hopeful.

“Before I unlock the chains though,” Kyungsoo said hesitantly. Jongin stilled. “What is it, my love?”

“What did you mean by ‘save me from myself’? I need to know,” Kyungsoo said quietly. Jongin looked surprised but replied him almost immediately, “I was lost without you, my love. My heart couldn’t bear it to be without you, but now that you are here…”

“You have nothing to worry about, min kj _ærlighet._ No harm shall befall you or anyone else.”

It made Kyungsoo feel much more relaxed that he had Jongin’s word, and he went over to unlock his chains.

They clicked open, the key fitting in easily. Kyungsoo did his legs first, then he did Jongin’s hands. When his limbs were free, Jongin massaged his wrists painfully, dark bruises ringing them.

“How long have you been locked up?” Kyungsoo asked, holding one of his hands and touching the bruises there. “Two days, but it does not matter, now that I have you with me. You have taken away my suffering, my love, and I must thank you—”

“Kyungsoo?! Kyungsoo, where are you?” Luhan shouted from outside the room. Kyungsoo froze and so did Jongin.

“Kyungsoo, answer me! Suho, check the—oh no.” Jongin disappeared from Kyungsoo’s side, and suddenly he was leaning against the door, struggling to lock it as Luhan and Suho tried to break in.

“Kyungsoo, get out now if you—” Luhan gave a hard push against the door, leaning on it with all his weight. “Get out, it’s not safe—”

Jongin growled at them, his arms bulging with veins as he struggled with the door. _“Som kongen av Lycanfort, jeg forbyr deg fra å komme inn dette rommet!”_ Jongin shouted, using all of his strength to push at the door. _As King of Lycanfort, I forbid you from entering this room.***_

Luhan and Suho, struck by what Jongin said, didn’t push back, and allowed him to lock the door. Kyungsoo could hardly contain his surprise and fear, watching the scene unfold before his eyes. “Leave us, brother,” Jongin said, putting the lock in place.

“Jongin, you said you wouldn’t hurt them,” Kyungsoo started to say. “I didn’t, my love. And I never will,” Jongin smiled coldly.

He approached Kyungsoo, taking two large steps and pulling him close, kissing him, open mouthed. Jongin kept his arms around Kyungsoo as he pushed him backwards, nudging his knees to move until they knocked against something soft, and Jongin pushed Kyungsoo onto the mattress, giving him only a second to breathe before he resumed his kisses, nibbling on Kyungsoo’s lower lip and caressing him everywhere, running his hands down his thighs, up to his chest, around his sides.

Kyungsoo’s head was dizzy from lack of air, and something told him that he should stop Jongin from doing all this, touching and kissing, sucking and biting before he went crazy, but he wanted more from Jongin, and he knew that Jongin _would_ deliver, would make him officially his property before the Sun was up.

“Jongin, ah!” Kyungsoo gasped, whatever it was that he wanted to say flying out of his head when Jongin bit down on his neck, pain slicing through his thoughts as he Jongin to climb over him, straddling Kyungsoo.

Jongin laced their fingers together, stretching his arms wide open across the bed. “My love, tell me what you want,” Jongin mouthed at his neck, licking at the bite to soften the pain.

“I don’t know,” Kyungsoo gasped, Jongin’s hips grinding down on Kyungsoo to brush their bodies together. Pleasure coursed through his veins, and Kyungsoo struggled beneath Jongin, unable to move the way he wanted to. “Say you want me, Kyungsoo my love, tell me your deepest desires,” Jongin continued, kissing him hard.

“Jongin…” Kyungsoo said fervently, looking into his luminescent eyes. “Jongin, I’m afraid,” Kyungsoo said, when he reached for his clothes. “Fear is of the mind, my love. What is it you fear? Me…” Jongin said slowly, ripping his shirt open. The necklace Jongin had given him poked Kyungsoo in the neck.

“Or us?” Jongin finished, leaning back to admire his body. Kyungsoo immediately felt self conscious and tried to wiggle away from Jongin. He pinned Kyungsoo down, arching an eyebrow at Kyungsoo.

“It’s too bright,” Kyungsoo said weakly, avoiding Jongin’s scorching gaze. “I like how you are, Kyungsoo. So soft…” Jongin trailed a finger down his sternum, moving down to his stomach and stopping at his belly button. “All mine,” Jongin said softly, eyes blinking once before his deft hands worked at Kyungsoo’s jeans.

“No, no, Jongin, I’m not ready,” Kyungsoo said quickly, sitting up to push Jongin away. But he had forgotten that Jongin wasn’t a human, and he barely moved when Kyungsoo pushed at his shoulders. Then Jongin managed to undo Kyungsoo’s jeans, popping the button off, and dived down to mouth at Kyungsoo’s cock, making him buck his hips up into Jongin’s mouth with a loud, garbled shout.

“No,” Kyungsoo gasped, twisting Jongin’s hair in his fingers. His cock was painfully hard now, and he wanted to push Jongin away yet allow him to continue, his tongue licking at the head of his cock.

Jongin looked up at him steadily, one hand at the base of his cock as he sucked Kyungsoo off, red lips glistening with spit. “Jongin, no, please, stop—” Kyungsoo almost fainted when Jongin took his cock into his throat, the heat of his mouth burning so deliciously against his cock. He had never had anyone suck his cock before, and sparks were bursting behind his eyelids, the heat of Jongin’s mouth unlike anything he felt before. When his cock bumped the back of Jongin’s throat, he gasped for air, hands pressing into Jongin’s shoulders.

Kyungsoo arched his back with a loud cry, and he came into Jongin’s mouth as Jongin milked his cock, sucking hard and licking at his length. Tears dotted Kyungsoo’s eyes as Jongin pulled away from him, swallowing his come. Some of it dribbled down his chin and Jongin kissed him hard, giving Kyungsoo a taste of his own come.

“Sensitive little thing, aren’t you?” Jongin said softly, pushing him back into the mattress once more, and tracing Kyungsoo’s swollen lips.

“Let me make you mine, my love,” Jongin said, reaching down to touch his cock. “I promise it won’t hurt,” he whispered, brushing his thumb over the head of Kyungsoo’s cock.

“Every inch of you,” Jongin kissed him on the lips and peppered more kisses down to his chest and stomach, giving Kyungsoo a hard suck on the cock for good measure. “I own you.”

Jongin swept Kyungsoo’s clothes aside impatiently, removing his own pants hurriedly. Jongin’s cock was hard too, Kyungsoo saw, breathing heavily as he came down from his floaty cloud. It curved up towards his toned stomach, abs appearing whenever he exhaled.

Jongin pulled Kyungsoo further up on the bed, making him turn over. “I’ll make you happy, my love. It’s a promise,” Jongin said in his ear, a smile on his lips. “Bring yourself up,” he ordered softly, and Kyungsoo complied, lifting himself up on his arms and knees.

At first Kyungsoo thought Jongin would take him from behind, but then he felt a hand at his ass, feeling his entrance boldly. He tightened up instinctively at Jongin’s probing fingers, cock twitching back to life. “Untouched now, are you, my love? But not to worry, we’ll soon change that,” Jongin said wickedly, running a finger tantalizingly along the cleft of his ass. Kyungsoo blushed despite himself, jamming his face into the mattress.

His breath ghosting at Kyungsoo’s entrance was the only warning he received before he felt Jongin’s tongue thrusting into his ass, short, wet thrusts that had Kyungsoo gasping in pleasure. Jongin placed both hands on his ass, spreading them open for his tongue.

Kyungsoo couldn’t help writhing about on the mattress as Jongin ran his tongue over his entrance once more, tonguing and sucking his balls gently. “Come for me, my love,” Jongin whispered, licking at Kyungsoo’s ass. His insistent tongue teased his entrance endlessly, Kyungsoo holding back his moans.

He was close to the edge when Jongin forced a finger into his entrance, and Kyungsoo came again, spurting on the mattress in white streaks.

“No more, Jongin, no more,” Kyungsoo pleaded, feeling bone tired. But Jongin was relentless, running his cock along the cleft of Kyungsoo’s ass.

“Feel me, my love, feel my desire for you,” Jongin moaned, throwing his head back as he moved his hips against Kyungsoo’s ass.

“How tight you must be,” Jongin murmured, letting the head of his cock bump at Kyungsoo’s entrance. He dropped his face into the mattress, groaning loudly. Then Jongin moved away from him, and Kyungsoo turned around to see what Jongin was doing.

He held a small bottle in his hand, uncapping it and pouring its contents down on Kyungsoo’s ass. “What are you doing, is that lube?” Kyungsoo asked. The scent of chamomile reached his nose, and Kyungsoo guessed it was probably scented oil. In reply, Jongin coated his fingers with the stuff, and slid a finger into Kyungsoo, pushing it in and out slowly.

Kyungsoo’s knees almost gave out, but Jongin caught his hips, holding his ass up in the air as he worked his finger into Kyungsoo. “Do you like it?” Jongin asked huskily, fitting another finger in.

He nodded silently, not trusting his voice anymore. It felt weird and foreign to have someone else’s hands touching him there other than his own, the pace and feel of it much more different that doing it to himself. Kyungsoo however, could get used to this if Jongin was the one with his fingers up his ass.

A crook of Jongin’s fingers and Kyungsoo’s cock twitched, moving back on Jongin’s hand for more friction. Kyungsoo called out his name, sounding wrecked as he said his name over and over again. “Jongin, please, Jongin,” he begged, his cock dripping with precome.

“Patience, love, patience,” Jongin crooned, placing a hand on his lower back to still him.

Kyungsoo stopped moving obediently, waiting in breathless anticipation for what would come next. Jongin stepped up on the mattress, Kyungsoo’s legs between his own as he placed his cock at Kyungsoo’s entrance, massaging his ass gently to soothe Kyungsoo.

“ _Du er en for meg, min kjærlighet,”_ Jongin moaned, his words sounding like sweet nothings rolling off his tongue. _You are the one for me, my love.***_

“You are so perfect, my love, so beautiful and soft…” Jongin pushed into Kyungsoo slowly, stretching his ass painfully but so excruciatingly pleasurable as he entered Kyungsoo for the first time.

“Oh God, I can’t, Jongin, s-stop,” Kyungsoo bit out, Jongin’s cock throbbing inside of him as he filled him up slowly, his thighs shaking from the pain. Tears dotted Kyungsoo’s eyes as he cried out intelligible words.“Not till I’m all the way in,” Jongin promised, fucking into him smoothly. Then he stopped, and Kyungsoo felt Jongin’s balls at his ass, and he knew Jongin was inside him, his cock large and hot.

Jongin panted, giving Kyungsoo a few seconds to get used to the feeling. It was thicker than Kyungsoo anticipated, but a welcome surprise nonetheless. He breathed through his nose deeply before Jongin started to move, very slowly, but his hands on Kyungsoo’s hips was a sign of his self control; Jongin was gripping Kyungsoo very hard, fingers digging into Kyungsoo’s skin as he drove into Kyungsoo and slid out with a wet sound.

“Jongin, I love you,” Kyungsoo groaned, throwing a glance at Jongin. Jongin’s eyes were closed, but his breathing was hard as he fucked into Kyungsoo, thrusting into him harder with each time. “ _Jeg… elsker deg,”_ Kyungsoo said hesitantly, and Jongin’s eyes opened.

“Did I say it right?” Kyungsoo asked. Jongin gave a tense nod, thrusting particularly hard into Kyungsoo. “I love you, Jongin, I do,” Kyungsoo croaked, his face stained with tears. Jongin pulled Kyungsoo up by the hair, arching his back to the max while fucking him hard, nudging his prostrate at the angle.

Kyungsoo couldn’t do anything but grasp Jongin’s arms, making embarrassing noises in his throat. Jongin’s skin was sweaty and slick, but Kyungsoo held on, shouting as he came. Jongin shuddered, following Kyungsoo closely and coming inside him as well.

“Oh, my love,” Jongin mumbled, bringing a hand up to Kyungsoo’s chest and holding him close, their bodies touching. Jongin gave him a chaste kiss on Kyungsoo’s neck, the yellow in his eyes fading to brown.

*

Four more orgasms and six more bites all over Kyungsoo’s body (including his ass), Kyungsoo passed out cold, worn out from the night activities.

He woke up however, when he felt Jongin’s gentle hands carding through his hair, and he opened his eyes to see Jongin looking down at him with a rather disappointed expression.

“Morning,” Kyungsoo mumbled cautiously, his mouth feeling like it’d been stuffed with cotton. He wasn’t sure why Jongin looked so pissed, and whatever it was couldn’t be good. “Mm. Good morning to you as well,” Jongin said stiffly. Kyungsoo moved his legs about tentatively, his hips sore.

“Ow,” Kyungsoo said, looking down at himself. He was covered with a blanket, his head pillowed on Jongin’s lap. Jongin was fully clothed while Kyungsoo was still nude as he looked under the blanket. “Why didn’t you stop me?” Jongin muttered.

“Stop you?” Kyungsoo repeated, pressing on his hips. There were purple bruises there, in the shape of Jongin’s hands as well as bite marks everywhere. “If I recall, you’re a werewolf and I’m a human. There was no way I could’ve stopped what happened last night,” Kyungsoo replied, sitting up.

His left ass cheek felt bruised as well, and when he turned over to examine it he was mortified to see teeth marks there. Jongin traced the bruise, looking guilty. “I should’ve—I should’ve stopped. I didn’t think about what would happen—”

“Hey,” Kyungsoo said, lifting Jongin’s chin up. “I don’t blame you for what happened. If you wanna be angry, be angry at Luhan. He was the one who should’ve warned me about this,” Kyungsoo muttered. “And anyway, I’m not fatally hurt or anything. What’s a few bruises?” Kyungsoo shrugged.

“I should’ve told you about this, and then maybe there wouldn’t be so much damage,” Jongin answered.

“Damage?” Kyungsoo echoed. “It’s only a few bruises, Jongin,” he said, leaning over to cuddle into Jongin. Jongin muttered something incoherent under his breath, but held Kyungsoo anyway, bringing him close.

“It was fun, though. Didn’t you like it?”

“I did,” Jongin replied petulantly. “Good,” Kyungsoo kissed his cheek. “Now carry me to the bathroom if you’re feeling sorry.”

Jongin chuckled, rubbing their noses together, making Kyungsoo smile.

In the hot spring, Kyungsoo splashed water all over Jongin until he cheered up, smiling shyly as water dripped down from his hair. Jongin made Kyungsoo sit while he washed his hair, fingernails scratching his scalp soothingly.

“Tell me what you heard when you were knocked out the other day,” Kyungsoo said, eyes closed. “I heard every word, my love. Even when you wrote your letter to me,” he smiled fondly. Kyungsoo grimaced, remembering how One Direction was suddenly a topic.

“Then I suppose now is a good time as any to discuss everything I wrote there,” Kyungsoo said, settling in the hot water nicely. Jongin nodded, cupping water in his hands and pouring them over his head.

“Well, I guess we can skip the mate part since Luhan told me all the important bits. What about… me living here with you? Or you, living with me?” Kyungsoo asked.

Jongin didn’t reply at first, seeming to think about his answer. “How would you have it, love? Would you like to stay here with me?”

“Me coming here seems like a better thing, since you’ve got a kingdom to handle, while I’m only worried about my parents. And my studies,” Kyungsoo frowned. He hadn’t done any studying since he met Jongin, and his parents would be angry if he let his studies slip.

“Studies? What do you study, love?” Jongin asked, interested.

“Um, accounting. It’s boring to some, I guess, but I like it. You can’t ever really go wrong with numbers,” Kyungsoo replied, his hair all washed up and done. The hot water was soothing to his cramped muscles and he sank in just a little bit deeper, savouring the humidity.

“And um, there was something else that I wanted to ask,” Kyungsoo said, making ripples in the water.

“Yes?” Jongin replied mildly.

“What is it about that thing Yifan said back in Europe? Something about wanting to meet…” he stopped, unsure of how to pronounce the words. Jongin quirked an eyebrow at him.

“Drrgh pffrngg suy,” Kyungsoo babbled, gesturing with his hands. Jongin cocked his head to one side like a bird.

“You know! He was like, ‘Ooh, it’s nice to finally meet drrgh pffrngg suy’,” Kyungsoo said.

“ _De profeterte seg?”_

“Yeah, that’s it,” Kyungsoo nodded. Jongin blushed a deep red. “It’s a prophecy a famous Oracle once shared with this world, long before I was born.” Kyungsoo tugged at Jongin, making him sit down. “Sounds interesting. Care to share it with me?” Kyungsoo reached for his hand in the water.

“The Oracle foretold the future that a King of my family line will find his mate in a Pureblood. It has never happened before and consequently the…” Jongin looked uncomfortable to continue.

“Is it something bad?” Kyungsoo asked.

“Well, the same King will face a war with the Europeans. It will end all wars between Lycanfort and Europe, but there will be a sacrifice.”

Kyungsoo’s eyes practically boggled out of his eyes. “Are you sure the King in the prophecy is you?” He said dumbly, horrified that he had somehow caused a war. Jongin rolled his eyes, ruffling Kyungsoo’s wet hair affectionately. “Yes, my love. The Oracle was quite specific that the werewolf in the prophecy would be a King.” He gave Kyungsoo a hug while Kyungsoo leaned on him stiffly.

“Then what about the war? And the sacrifice? Are you saying that someone important is going to die?”

“I would never let anything happen to you if you were the sacrifice in the prophecy,” Jongin said solemnly. “What if it’s Luhan or Minseok, or even Suho? We’d be survivors of the war, but to have someone die _because_ of us…”

“It is not _our_ fault that a sacrifice will be made, _min kjærlighet_. There are just things that we cannot change. I, for one, am happy that the prophecy brought me to you,” he smiled, giving Kyungsoo a spontaneous kiss. Kyungsoo laughed embarrassedly. “I’m happy too, don’t get me wrong. I love you, and I like you. A lot. It’s just a burden in a way. I mean, we get to be together, but the consequences are war and death? Has Yifan been hinting death threats?” 

“Of course he has. We stole his prisoner, we ruined his castle, we killed at least a dozen of his men… He takes everything seriously,” Jongin scoffed. “Should we be worried?” Kyungsoo asked, biting down on his lip.

“Right now, I’d rather enjoy the time I have with you now, my love. At least until the prophecy starts to take form in reality,” Jongin kissed him on the head. Then they were silent for a while, pleasantly so before Kyungsoo thought of something.

“Did you er, notice that Luhan has found his mate in Sehun?”

“Of course I did. Now that is strange as well, though not uncommon. I thought these sort of things only happened to long ago princesses in the past,” Jongin chuckled. “And you’re fine with it?” Kyungsoo looked up at him.

“Sehun has spoken to Jongdae in the recent days I think, and he too has come to terms that Yifan and his ways are… unsavoury, I suppose. He now knows that there is another way to live, and that life isn’t all about power and blood. It’s easy to open his eyes to optimism when he too, has finally found his saving grace in Luhan. I hear he’s about four hundred years old.”

“That’s fucking old.”

“Point well made.”

“And what about us? Has there never been a werewolf or a vampire falling in love with a human?” Jongin winced at his question. “It’s… taboo. Not because we find it disgusting, but because you Purebloods are so fragile. Eighty years, and you disappear into dust. For us werewolves and vampires however,” Jongin looked down at him fondly. “We have close to eternity. It is what makes me value our time together.”

“Nobody said I’ll make it past eighty for sure,” Kyungsoo muttered, reaching up a hand to bop his nose.  “Not with the prophecy hanging over the lot of us like a sword, and who knows what’ll happen to me on the way? What if you sex me up so hard I die from it?” Jongin’s laugh echoed in the little cavern, bouncing back at the both of them.

“I’m serious! You even gave me bruises,” Kyungsoo pointed at one on his collarbone. Jongin wiped tears from his eyes, chest still shaking with laughter.

*

At breakfast time, Kyungsoo walked stiffly to the dining hall, his bum hurting more than he thought it would. Jongin kept throwing him worried glances while Kyungsoo shrugged off any attempts from Jongin to carry him. “I can’t be thrown over your shoulder the whole week. Just give me a kiss and forget about it,” Kyungsoo shooed him off. Jongin stopped him in his tracks, pushing him against the wall for a hard kiss, leaving Kyungsoo breathless.

“I didn’t think you’d take that literally,” Kyungsoo heaved. Jongin bit his lip, lifting an eyebrow at him suggestively.

“I see someone had a wonderful time last night,” Luhan said, arms on his hips, staring at the both of them.

“L-Luhan! I didn’t hear you coming through the hall—”

“I didn’t think you did, either,” he said dryly. He looked at Kyungsoo up and down, possibly trying to x-ray through his clothes. “How many bruises did you get?” Luhan asked.

“Who counts?” Kyungsoo deliberately avoided the question. Jongin looked thoroughly embarrassed at his side.

“What’s in that bag anyway?” Luhan asked, joining them to walk to the dining hall. “Oh, this?” Kyungsoo held up a small bag in his hand. “Just some gifts I thought I’d share with you guys,” he shrugged. He had taken them out from his bag and promised Jongin he’d show them the gifts over breakfast.

“Ooh, I love gifts! Have you anything for me?” Luhan asked, eyes sparkling. “Yeah. I brought you a chocolate bar, ‘cause I wasn’t sure if you’d ever tasted it before…” Kyungsoo dug it out, holding out a Kit Kat chunky bar. Luhan positively squealed, snatching it and reading the words on the wrapper.

“Kit Kat? Is that the chocolate master who made this?” he asked. “No… it’s the company name. Does it really matter? Just eat it,” Kyungsoo said, and opened it up for him. Luhan bit into it, eyes glazing over at the first taste.

“Do you have more of this?” he asked. “I only brought each for everyone I know here, excluding Jongdae and Sehun,” Kyungsoo said, holding the bag to his chest protectively. “Jongin, could you restrain your rabid brother from attacking me?” he mumbled with his lips closed.

Luhan just sighed in disappointment, munching on the bar quietly. “Will you die from that though, because I’m pretty sure dogs die from eating chocolate,” Kyungsoo said. Jongin gave him a disturbed look. “We’re not dogs.”

“History says you are,” Kyungsoo retorted, not unkindly.

At the dining hall, they were served tomato soup and garlic bread, along with a refreshing rocket salad. Kyungsoo handed out his gifts before they tucked in; lots and lots of free pens he’d collected over the years (he had a stash enough to supply the US military with pens), some books he thought Jongin would find interesting (the books included but were not limited to Fifty Shades of Grey and The Twilight Saga), skin care product samples Baekhyun and Chanyeol had shared with him (from when they worked very briefly at the mall), and an old Walkman that still functioned for Jongin, along with a few CDs to accompany it.

“You’re supposed to apply this day and night, to keep your skin nice and soft,” Kyungsoo told them. “Just grab a few of each and leave some for Jongdae and Sehun.”

“I think they’re better off with Suho and Minseok. After all, why polish porcelain when it never truly wears out?” Luhan said, already dabbing toner all over his face. “It smells lovely,” he sniffed the foil packet. “It’s also expensive, so don’t waste it,” Kyungsoo said. He didn’t have the heart to say that samples were free.

“What are ‘anal beads’?” Jongin asked him out loud, flipping through Fifty Shades of Grey. “I’ll tell you later,” Kyungsoo blushed, sorting through the gifts. He spotted Eunyoung scampering along the hall, and waved at her to come over, picking up a few of each samples as well as a chocolate bar for her.

“Here’s a little gift for you, to thank you,” he said, smiling at her. She looked shocked and made no move to accept, but he pushed them into her hands. “B-But sire, I… I don’t know what to say,” she said, tears in her eyes.

“You don’t have to say anything,” he patted her shoulder. Jongin stifled a smile behind a copy of Wuthering Heights, looking over the edge of the book at Kyungsoo with love in his eyes.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I never finished reading Wuthering Heights now that I think about it....


	9. I'd rather die without you and I

Jongin sat on the bed, face stunned as he listened to Ariana Grande for the first time. At first he had turned his nose up at Problem, but when One Last Time played, Kyungsoo immediately knew that Jongin was most definitely a mainstream pop kind of guy.

“If you like this one, you’re gonna love Just a Little Bit of Your Heart,” Kyungsoo promised, sharing an earphone with Jongin. They were snuggled in bed together, blankets over them as they went through Kyungsoo’s CD collection. He had to give it to the servants; they had a new bed made yesterday within a few hours, and had Jongin’s room cleared up by night time. It was spotless and clean now, if not somewhat sparse.

Last night they had stayed up late into the night, Jongin reading Pride and Prejudice out loud until Kyungsoo fell asleep (at page twenty). Jongin had apparently read the entire book by dawn, and even if he did look a bit watery eyed, he still insisted on listening to at least one album before getting out of bed. “Y’know, this song was playing when Jongdae came to my world to convince me to come back here,” Kyungsoo said to Jongin.

“Oh?” Jongin said, turning over to look at Kyungsoo. “Yeah. My decision to come back may or may not have been influenced by Ariana, ‘cause her songs are pretty romantic, and they got me thinking of you for some time so…” he trailed off. “Then I have her to thank, now that you’re in bed with me,” Jongin smiled, giving Kyungsoo a kiss on the forehead.

“Are you really… not going to sleep the entire day?” Kyungsoo asked. His eyes were watery _and_ red, and he wasn’t sure if he wanted to see Jongin collapse to the ground a second time.

“I’ve done it before,” was all Jongin said. Kyungsoo looked over at his blank expression. “You mean you’ve done it before when I wasn’t around,” Kyungsoo said flatly.

“I couldn’t even if I tried,” Jongin smiled tightly. Kyungsoo bit his lip. “Jongdae and Luhan told me what it was like for you. I’m sorry that I did that to you, even if I didn’t know.”

“I am only afraid that you won’t be there when I wake up,” Jongin replied softly. Kyungsoo grabbed his hand, squeezing it. “C’mon, don’t be like that. I promise I’ll stay longer this time around. Maybe we could… I don’t know, go up to my world? I could show you all those things you asked me about in my books,” Kyungsoo offered.

Jongin’s eyes widened. “I-I… I suppose we could but… my love, who would run the kingdom?”

“You’ve left your kingdom before to stalk me, I’m sure it’s fine,” Kyungsoo rolled his eyes, giving him a big kiss on the mouth. Jongin blushed, looking away.

“So do you want to? We could go today, maybe later in the afternoon. Just for a little while. My parents are away, and they won’t catch us at all.”

“If you want to, love,” Jongin answered. He kissed Kyungsoo gently, making Kyungsoo’s toes curl beneath the blanket. “I want to,” Kyungsoo replied, pulling the sheets over them.

*

After listening to Ariana’s entire album, they left the bed to have a quick bath (together). As Kyungsoo predicted, Jongin more or less loved Ariana’s music, gushing over Love Me Harder and Just a Little Bit of Your Heart in the bathroom.

“Is there more music from her?” he asked in the bathtub, soap in his hair.

“I don’t know, I just bought her album on impulse. But if you like her then I’ll find more of her music,” Kyungsoo told him, blowing bubbles. The bruises on his skin were still stark on his fair skin, but most of them were covered up by his clothes, to his relief. He didn’t know what his mother would say if she saw all the marks on his neck and shoulders.

“You pay to listen to music?” Jongin asked in disbelief. “Yeah. How do I put in terms you understand? The currency in the Pureblood world _is_ the currency.” He remembered that line from Pirates of The Caribbean. Jongin found the notion absurd. “Musicians perform because they love music, not the currency,” he said crossly.

“Don’t get all upset about it. Everything has a price in my world,” Kyungsoo replied, sending a bubble in Jongin’s way. He popped it with his nose, face scrunching up. Kyungsoo laughed at his expression.

“Let me blow a few more to cheer you up,” Kyungsoo said, rubbing the suds between his fingers and cupping his hands together. He blew seven more, most of large but popping before they reached Jongin’s side of the tub. “Can’t you make an effort to catch them? They’re supposed to make you happy!”

Jongin watched him with amusement, leaning back on the tub. The last bubble sank to the water surface and joined the other little bubbles, turning into an iridescent half circle. Jongin smiled, crawling to Kyungsoo and putting his hand on a highly personal area. Jongin gave him an open mouthed kiss, soap rubbing off on Kyungsoo.

“But we just did it,” Kyungsoo said breathlessly. “So?” Jongin arched an eyebrow. “You’re the one who wanted to make me happy,” Jongin laughed.

*

In the late afternoon, Kyungsoo and Jongin managed to leave the bathroom once they were too hungry. Jongin went off first to his office to sort out a few things, leaving Kyungsoo to wander to the kitchen for a snack. Amazingly enough, Eunyoung prepared spiced oxtail stew for him, and he waited for Jongin in the dining hall, chewing on a piece of tender meat.

 _It’s weird to not have Baekhyun around_ , Kyungsoo thought, looking around the empty hall as he chewed. _What if they’re still up there in Chanyeol’s Daewoo though?_ Kyungsoo almost choked on a small piece of bone. He wouldn’t know what Jongin would think if he saw them at it together. _He’ll probably hate Baekhyun forever and regret having saved Chanyeol_ , Kyungsoo thought. Yes, that would sound very much like Jongin.

 On a brighter note however, where would Kyungsoo bring Jongin in his world? To the arcade? _No, that’d be too much for him to handle on the first trip._ Or the grocery store? Would he be dumbfounded by the amount of vegetables in the store? Kyungsoo’s home was well stocked with food though. It’d be a waste of time there.

 _Or maybe the amusement park_ , Kyungsoo thought. There was one in town that they would go to every year at Christmas. They were planning on going again sometime this week but for obvious reasons, the amusement park was the last thing on their minds.

 _Amusement park actually sounds good,_ Kyungsoo lifted an eyebrow. _We could go for all the crazy rides together with Chanyeol and Baekhyun if they’re still up there in Chanyeol’s shitty Daewoo._

When Jongin returned, Kyungsoo told him about his plans while he ate. Jongin nodded enthusiastically, and Kyungsoo was pleased to see that Jongin was genuinely excited, not just humouring Kyungsoo. “We could ride the roller coasters, and the merry-go-round, or the Ferris wheel,” Kyungsoo suggested.

“There will be rolling coasters? Where is the fun in that?” Jongin frowned, poking a piece of carrot in his bowl of stew.

“Um no, it’s… it’s not that flat thing that you use to avoid staining the table, it’s a…” For the life of him, he couldn’t remember what the fuck was it called and he flailed his hands, trying to get Jongin to understand. He wasn’t even sure why they called it ‘coasters’ anyway.

“Never mind! It’s like a carriage that you sit in and you hold on tight while it rides around a track really fast,” was all he could manage, but Jongin still looked confused.

“You’ll know when you see it,” Kyungsoo sighed. Jongin understood, finishing up his meal in five minutes. He grabbed Kyungsoo’s hand and they went off to the stables, walking through the gardens, waving Eunyoung goodbye.

On the way, Jongin picked up a little white and purple flower, sniffing it and handing it to Kyungsoo. He laughed shyly, taking it out of Jongin’s fingers.

“It’s cute,” Kyungsoo said, observing the delicate white petals speckled with purple. “It has quite a fragrance,” Jongin added. Kyungsoo brought it to his nose, a sweet smell emanating from the pollen. “Smells like rose flavoured bubblegum,” he stated, holding the thin stem gently.

“Bubblegum?”

“Ah, all the things you’re missing in life,” Kyungsoo sighed dramatically. They were about ten feet away from the stables, still chatting and talking when Kyungsoo heard a loud yell.

“WHERE IN THE SEVEN SEAS ARE YOU GOING?!”

Kyungsoo turned around with a visible, heavy exhale. It was Luhan, marching towards them with a facial expression that would’ve put Hitler to shame, if not for the fact that he was in his extra silky robes, the fabric billowing out in the wind. He looked like a very disgruntled bitch princess of the castle.

“Hey, Luhan,” Kyungsoo tried to smile, but failed.

“Don’t hey me! Where are you both going? I don’t see your bags so clearly it means you’re not going home yet! And you, brother!” Luhan jabbed Jongin in the chest.

“How dare you leave the country to me, Kai? Suho is clearly your number two. Not me,” he huffed, walking on into the stables. “Guess he invited himself,” Kyungsoo shrugged. Jongin rubbed his face, looking frustrated.

“My love, you do not have to put up with my brother; if you want I could tell him to stay—”

“No, no, no, don’t do that, ‘cause he’ll probably kill me if you do, so just,” Kyungsoo looked over at Luhan who was kicking hay out of his way, making a mess that Minseok would probably have to clean up. “We’ll just bear with him,” Kyungsoo muttered.

“So where are we going?” Luhan said brightly in the stables, looking over at Kyungsoo while feeding his horse a few apples.

“We’re going to have fun, Luhan. Can’t Jongin and I ever have like, private time?” Kyungsoo asked. He put the flower in his pocket, letting the flower flop and dangle as he moved.

“Don’t be childish, Kyungsoo. In courtship, a chaperone is required to be present. I think I make an excellent chaperone,” Luhan said to him.

“Nobody calls it courtship anymore, Luhan. It’s called dating,” he informed. Kyungsoo heaved himself over a brown horse, patting its neck. “What’s her name?” Kyungsoo asked Luhan.

“Its name is Charles. _He’s_ ten years old,” Luhan said snidely. Kyungsoo rolled his eyes. Jongin left the stables first, going out into the sunshine. Kyungsoo trotted out as well, before he would have to murder Luhan, leaving him and Minseok last.

Minseok was forced to come along to lead the horses back, so he lingered last to give them privacy, although it wasn’t really necessary. Try as he might, Luhan was talking at the top of his voice, and even if he didn’t want to eavesdrop, he was privy to their entire conversation.

“I say, what a lovely day we’re having,” Luhan exclaimed when they first started off. Kyungsoo looked over at Jongin as if to say, ‘Is he going to be like this the entire time?’ Jongin gave him a weak shrug and an apologetic smile.

“You know, you said you’re a chaperone. So could you keep it down for a while?” Kyungsoo turned to look at him.

“I was talking to myself!” Luhan said in defence. “Nobody said you had to listen to me.”

But the moment was gone, and the euphoria of going out on a fun date with Jongin was completely out of the question now. With Luhan’s sharp ears, he would probably tell the entire kingdom what they were talking about.

At the Portal, Minseok looked tortured while they got off their horses. “When will you be back, Master?” he asked Jongin, worried. “I will keep track of time up there, Minseok, not to worry,” he assured Minseok. Minseok gave a nod, but still didn’t look satisfied. Still, he didn’t say anything since it wasn’t his place.

The twisted trees started to shimmer when they approached it. Kyungsoo got off the horse, thumping down to the ground and almost buckling over because his muscles suddenly freaked out. Jongin saw what happened and was concerned. “ _Min kjærlighet,_ is everything alright?”

“Yeah, my legs were just suddenly a little jelly,” Kyungsoo laughed. Luhan wasn’t paying attention thankfully; otherwise he would have a lot to say.

“Who’s going in first?” Kyungsoo asked, going near the Portal. Luhan shrugged, flinging the horse reins over at Minseok without looking. “Anyone will do fine.”

“I think I’ll go first, just to see if Baekhyun and Chanyeol are still there,” Kyungsoo volunteered.

“Your companions await us?” Jongin asked. “No, but something tells me they’re probably still there, if my calculations are right,” Kyungsoo said, taking a deep breath. Jongin came up from behind him, wrapping his arms around Kyungsoo. “We’ll go together, love,” he mumbled into Kyungsoo’s ear.

“Are you showing off to your brother?” Kyungsoo smiled sweetly up at Jongin.

“Maybe a little bit,” he smiled back.

“I can hear you both! Can you both just get a move on?” Luhan scowled. Minseok looked the other way, admiring the castle view. Even the horses were snorting and neighing away.

“Fine then,” Kyungsoo said over Jongin’s shoulder.

They moved nearer to the Portal, and on the count of three, they slid into the Portal, water filling Kyungsoo’s ears. There was that sense of vertigo again, like they were leaning the wrong way somehow and they seemed to right themselves as Jongin and Kyungsoo floated up.

Kyungsoo had his eyes closed to avoid feeling that burn when he would be out of water, crushed to Jongin’s chest, when he felt Jongin’s hand bring his face up, and something soft on his lips.

Kyungsoo opened his eyes, a little more than affronted that Jongin would kiss him underwater. Then Jongin gave a lick on his lower lip and he opened up instinctively. Jongin’s breath entered his mouth, hot and sweet. Kyungsoo kissed him back slowly, running his tongue over Jongin’s teeth.

Jongin looked ridiculously pleased when they came up for air, Kyungsoo trying to catch his breath while Jongin was smiling to himself, looking all smug. “Did you like that?” Jongin asked shyly, running a hand through his wet hair.

“I wasn’t expecting it, but sure,” Kyungsoo smiled, rubbing at his eyes. Oh, Jongin was just too sexy for his own good--

Luhan splashed up between them, coughing and flicking water everywhere. “By the King’s name, where in fresh hell am I?” he sputtered.

Kyungsoo resisted the urge to drown Luhan in the tub and got out, squeezing water out of his sleeves as he looked out for Chanyeol’s—ah, there it was, and was it moving to and fro? Kyungsoo put the images out of his mind before he accidentally watched porn live in HD.

“Hahaha, they’re there all right,” Kyungsoo said, turning around to look at Jongin and Luhan. Luhan was trying to get Jongin to dry his clothes, but Jongin was having none of it, ignoring Luhan pointedly while he whined all over him.

“Luhan, why don’t you er, get Baekhyun and Chanyeol first? They’re in the car,” Kyungsoo said. Luhan huffed at Jongin, smacking a wet sleeve across his chest. “Car, you say?” Luhan repeated.

“You won’t miss them,” Kyungsoo said honestly. _Nobody would be able to_ , he thought. Luhan stumbled off, slipping on water and vampire blood. “I should probably clean this up someday,” Kyungsoo mused, looking at the bloody mess. It still hadn’t dried up, but at least there was no smell.

“Don’t risk it, my love, vampire blood is poisonous,” Jongin shook his head, getting out of the tub. Kyungsoo didn’t even get the chance to reply when he heard Baekhyun scream loudly.

“WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE, LUHAN?”

“Chaperoning Kyungsoo and Kai, why?”

“WE’RE BUSY!”

Then there was a slam, and a lot of squeaks, even if Kyungsoo was listening in from upstairs. He wasn’t sure if Luhan was born without shame, but surely it took a lot of nerve to walk up to two people doing it?

“We can go down now,” Kyungsoo smiled. He walked past the blood puddle, reaching for Jongin’s hand. “Why was your companion upset?” Jongin asked him.

“They were doing something,” Kyungsoo replied. Jongin nodded understandingly.

At the entrance of the house, Kyungsoo could see that Baekhyun was struggling pull up his skinny jeans in the back seat while Chanyeol was already dressed (if you call leaving your shirt unbuttoned dressed up),  looking happy to see Luhan, and lighting a joint in his hand.

“Hey guys,” Kyungsoo waved. Chanyeol waved at him happily. Jongin gave him a curt nod, eyeing the joint in his hand. “That’s weed,” Kyungsoo informed him.

“The smell of it is strange,” Jongin replied.

“Kyungsoo! Why did you come back? And with both of them too,” Baekhyun said loudly, rolling down the passenger seat window. His hair was tousled, eyeliner smudged all over his face. “Remember the amusement park?” Kyungsoo asked.

“Oh. Are we going there now?” Baekhyun asked.

“Can we stop by your place to change?” Kyungsoo said, gesturing to his wet clothes. “Sure, why not?” Baekhyun shrugged. “Just don’t get the upholstery wet.”

 _It’s safe to assume_ , Kyungsoo thought _, that Baekhyun and Chanyeol are probably still high._ It was good. That meant less questions and more things getting done in a smaller span of time.

“Hey, Kyungsoo, what’s that all over your neck?” Baekhyun suddenly asked, staring at his neck. “All right! Get in then,” Kyungsoo said brightly, ignoring Baekhyun’s question and opening the back door for Jongin. He looked horrified, clearly judging the Daewoo. “It’s not a Maserati, I know, I know,” Kyungsoo sighed.

“Is this a _car_?” Jongin asked, looking at the inside of the car. “Yeah. It runs on batteries,” Kyungsoo replied. “Go on in,” Kyungsoo said, and Jongin climbed in, sitting in the middle. Baekhyun smiled over the passenger seat. “Get ready for the ride of your life, kid.”

“Ignore him, he’s high,” Kyungsoo advised Jongin, clambering into the fucking tiny Daewoo. It would be a miracle if Luhan managed to squeeze in, there was more space in a public toilet cubicle than this car.  

Chanyeol handed the joint to Luhan (unwisely), as Kyungsoo could see from the front. “What do you mean by ‘high’, my love?” Jongin asked softly, looking out of place in the car, and in this world, for that matter. Kyungsoo flicked Jongin’s fringe about playfully. “Like when you’re drunk. Not sober,” Kyungsoo replied.

“How will your companion manoeuvre the vehicle then?”

“Now isn’t that the question indeed?”

Baekhyun laughed aloud. Chanyeol got into the car, eyes too bright for Kyungsoo to feel settled, and Luhan got in as well, surprising Kyungsoo by managing the door without anyone’s help. He mashed into the back seat, slamming the door. “Want some?” he asked Jongin, handing the joint over.

“No! Don’t,” Kyungsoo said, tapping Chanyeol’s shoulder and snatching the joint away. “Chanyeol, here’s your joint,” Kyungsoo said, passing it back to him. “Oh, yeah, I forgot where I put it,” Chanyeol mumbled, taking it and putting it into his mouth.

“Hit the music, Baek,” Chanyeol said, strapping the seatbelt over his shoulder. “Yes, baby,” Baekhyun replied, pressing something on the dashboard. Drums beating a tandem beat boomed in the small space of the car, giving Jongin a shock. “Relax, it’s just music,” Kyungsoo patted his hand.

Then electric guitar’s came into play, and Kyungsoo sighed. Chanyeol was playing Royal Blood on the stereo, hitting the steering wheel according to the beat of the drums.

“Is this supposed to be funny?” Kyungsoo yelled at Baekhyun over the music.

“Glad you got the joke! Royal Blood, get it? Royal Blood,” he snickered, putting his feet up on the dashboard. Chanyeol hooted like an owl, stepping on the oil pedal, and speeding down the road. He sang along to the music, shouting at some parts. Baekhyun had the audacity to do his hair, adjusting his fringe and messing it up artfully while his boyfriend drove around town like a mental patient. Clearly they were made for each other.

“Give me the cigarette!” Luhan held out his hand to the front, looking at ease with his surroundings. Baekhyun plucked it out of Chanyeol’s mouth, smoking it for a second and giving it to Luhan. “He’s an addict now. We’re going to go on Intervention soon,” Kyungsoo said mournfully. Luhan smoked it like a pro, blowing smoke rings into the air.

Jongin blinked at his brother, not recognizing him anymore. “This is how he is when he’s not around you, FYI,” Kyungsoo told Jongin.

*

Stopping at Baekhyun’s house, Baekhyun and Chanyeol waited in the car, still singing along to Royal Blood together while the car idled by the side of the road.

“Is this your residence?” Jongin asked curiously, looking around the neighbourhood. It was a very proper area, some distance away from Kyungsoo’s area. They were up at the doorstep, Kyungsoo fiddling with the key.

“No, this is Baekhyun’s house. We’re just here to change clothes,” Kyungsoo grunted, twisting the doorknob. The door swung open and they were inside, Luhan and Jongin admiring the place. Baekhyun’s house was much more modern than Kyungsoo’s place, since his mother was an interior designer. It fitted Luhan’s personality well, the entire house decorated tastefully in white and gold, and he seemed to realize it as well, making himself at home by sitting down on the couch.

“Get up, the couch is getting wet,” Kyungsoo poked him in the shoulder.

“But it’s comfy!” he protested. Kyungsoo shrugged. He went upstairs to Baekhyun’s bedroom, raiding the wardrobe for something that didn’t look indecent or expose too much skin. He found two sweaters that could work for Jongin and Luhan among a pile of clothes that would put a male strip dancer’s wardrobe to shame, and he dug into the drawers to find a pair of jeans that he’d left here a few years back and had never gotten around to taking it home. He tossed the sweaters at Jongin. “Take one of them. The other’s for Luhan,” Kyungsoo said.

Jongin held up one of the sweaters that said, ‘I’m hot and you’re not.’

“You should give that one to Luhan,” Kyungsoo laughed, taking off his pants. He opened up a few more drawers, looking for dry underwear.

“I must say, my love, those shorts you’re wearing are absolutely divine,” Jongin remarked, staring at his boxers. “You like them?” Kyungsoo replied absently. He found a pack of new boxers in Baekhyun’s drawer and ripped it open, taking a pair.

Jongin hummed in reply to Kyungsoo, taking off his clothes. “Where do I put them?” he asked. Kyungsoo pointed at an empty basket. “Throw them in there. We’ll come back later for it,” he said.

After an eternity of looking for clothes and trying stuff on, Jongin emerged with a black Nirvana T-shirt and three quarter shorts while Kyungsoo wore jeans and a thick wool sweater, Baekhyun’s denim jacket in hand. “Throw the clothes into the machine over there,” Kyungsoo pointed at the dryer.

He flung the outfit he picked out for Luhan on his face and rushed over to turn the dryer on.

“Why did you pick such a warm thing for me? I’ll die from heat stroke,” Luhan moaned. “Just put it on,” Kyungsoo muttered. Jongin went over to Luhan to pull off his clothes, which Kyungsoo chose not see, pressing a few buttons on the dryer.

A honk outside told Kyungsoo that they were taking far too long inside the house, and he went out, going to see what Baekhyun wanted. “Hurry up!” Baekhyun yelled at him. “Hold on,” Kyungsoo said, and went back in. Luhan had his black pants on just nice, although he was only starting to put on the sweater.

“Bring him out,” Kyungsoo said to Jongin. He nodded, and lifted Luhan in his arms. “Whoa, I’m flying,” Luhan laughed hysterically.

Jongin exited the house, and dumped Luhan into the car, waiting for Kyungsoo to get in.

“ _Finally_. I thought you guys were doing it in my room or something,” Baekhyun complained. “Is that my shirt you’re wearing?” Chanyeol asked Jongin, peering into the rear view mirror. “It was in Baekhyun’s closet, I don’t know,” Kyungsoo replied for him.

“So you stole it. Figures,” Chanyeol said lightly to Baekhyun, changing gears. “Let the party begin!” he shouted, before zooming off into the direction of the amusement park.

*

Kyungsoo jumped when he heard Luhan scream for the third time, his screams scarier than the haunted house itself.

So far, they had seen only two zombies, about a million scary masks and paintings on the walls, and someone had tried to grab Baekhyun’s ankle (which didn’t go down too well, since he stamped on the hand and ran away), but Luhan was acting like he was in hell, shrieking when a cobweb brushed over his face.

“I think I know why Luhan isn’t King,” Kyungsoo whispered to Jongin. Jongin giggled softly, an arm around Kyungsoo’s shoulders.

“OH MY GOD DUDES, IT’S A MONSTER!” Chanyeol yelled, pointing at someone wearing a Godzilla suit. He screamed and shouted at it, leaping away when the Godzilla suit roared at him.

“That leaves us to go on then,” Kyungsoo said, walking on calmly. They had already ridden three roller coasters (which Jongin loved) and fished for rubber ducks for cool prizes (which Jongin did not love). They also ate some skewered meat and other snacks, played with the bumper cars, and Baekhyun ended up getting bruised more than the rest.

Luhan whimpered; face red in the darkness of the place as he looked around in fear, expecting something else to jump out at him.

A skeleton suddenly swung down from the ceiling and Jongin ducked, bringing Kyungsoo down with him. Luhan was too surprised to react, and the plastic skull bumped him on the nose, eliciting a shriek from Luhan. “That’s it, I’m out of this cursed place!” he yelled, running ahead of them.

Kyungsoo laughed, tears rolling down his face as he struggled to stand up. “Did you see his face?” he gasped, finding it hard to breathe. Jongin was laughing too, albeit not as hard as Kyungsoo.

“Where is the exit, love?” Jongin asked, leading him but still holding Kyungsoo’s hand. “It’s only a few feet up ahead. A guy’s gonna jump out at us right before we leave, so watch out for him,” Kyungsoo told Jongin.

“You’ve been here before, love?”

“I’ve been coming here since I was ten, Jongin. It’s a wonder how Baekhyun doesn’t remember the gimmicks of the haunted house already, since we’re always coming in every year,” Kyungsoo replied. “What a life you must lead, my love,” Jongin said wonderingly.

“Why do you say that?” Kyungsoo asked, avoiding a plastic, cackling witch.

“The Pureblood world is strange to me, love. I do not see how things could possibly work, yet everything moves and functions with ease. Is it not a strange magnificence to you?”

Kyungsoo was struck by how different their times were, and how difficult it might seem for Jongin to understand how humanity had come so far in so little time. “I guess I’ve lived with it long enough to not bother me,” Kyungsoo replied, since it was all he could come up with.

Outside, once they left the haunted house and Jongin almost punched the mummy in the face, they found Luhan, Baekhyun and Chanyeol spinning on the merry-go-round, making weird faces as they stared at the lights flashing around them.

“Let’s join them,” Kyungsoo said, pulling Jongin to the merry-go-round. Kyungsoo hopped on the platform, sitting on a horse in between Luhan and Baekhyun. Jongin came up too, lithely making his way to Kyungsoo.

There was something then, about those bright little lights flashing past them as Kyungsoo stared at Jongin. The world fell away, and there was only the plastic horses moving up and down slowly while Jongin sat down across Kyungsoo, meeting his gaze steadily.

“What are you thinking about, my love?” Jongin asked softly. Luhan and Chanyeol were screaming with laughter, posing for photos on Baekhyun’s phone. Kyungsoo could almost believe that Jongin was here for good, that they could just stay in a loop like this forever, and they would never have to worry about wars, sacrifices, or different worlds.

“You, I guess,” Kyungsoo said, looking away from Jongin.

“I know what you’re feeling inside, my love. Don’t worry about the future,” Jongin said, reaching up to touch his cheek. “Are you reading my mind or something?” Kyungsoo laughed.

“No. I don’t need to do that to know what you’re thinking about,” Jongin smiled, leaning in for a kiss. Kyungsoo closed his eyes, letting Jongin kiss him in public, something that he never would’ve let anyone else do to him.

It was magic, and Kyungsoo wanted the moment to last for a second longer, picture frame frozen in time to hold it close to his heart. He loved Jongin very much, but wished that this was their first kiss. It would’ve been perfect, two kids having found something special between each other.

The platform came to a slow stop, the outside coming into view. “We should—we—I—” Kyungsoo stuttered. Jongin smiled gently, offering a hand. Kyungsoo’s hands were sweaty, and he tried not to let Jongin notice, swinging their hands together.

Baekhyun, Luhan and Chanyeol were looking through their photos a few steps away, laughing at a few of them. “Hey, both of you, get over here! Let’s take a picture,” Baekhyun waved them over. Chanyeol took the liberty to hold the phone up as far as possible, all of them huddling together.

A flash and the moment was immortalized in Baekhyun’s phone. “This is definitely going up on Instagram,” Baekhyun declared.

Jongin was unfazed, confident that Kyungsoo would explain sooner or later.

They started walking again, heading to the games section to win prizes. “What do you want me to win?” Chanyeol was asking Baekhyun.

“A plushie. Any plushie,” Baekhyun said dismissively, and Chanyeol gave an obedient nod. “Wanna play this?” he pointed at a stall, where bottles were lined up in a pyramid, and depending on how bottles you toppled over with a tennis ball within three tries, you would win a prize.

“Sure,” Luhan shrugged. He still looked high, but took up a tennis ball, taking aim and flinging it at the bottles.

“You wanna play?” Kyungsoo asked Jongin.

“Perhaps I should win you a prize as well,” he smiled. Baekhyun and Kyungsoo stood back, watching all three of them throw tennis balls. Chanyeol managed to tip over six out of ten bottles, and Baekhyun cheered loudly, hollering and praising God.

“Pick a prize,” the guy manning the stall said, holding out a basket full of key chains. That got Baekhyun’s attention.

“Hey, don’t we get a plushie or something?” he asked. “No, you only get that if you get ten out of ten.”

“Well, this is absurd! I’m taking four key chains, since you’re too selfish to give me a damn plushie,” Baekhyun grumbled, snatching up a few and looking for cute ones. The man sighed, “Go ahead, kid. Park’s closing up in a week anyway.”

Kyungsoo looked over at him in shock. Jongin threw his last tennis ball, managing to win ten out of ten. He high fived Chanyeol, exchanging thumbs up’s with each other.

“You’re shutting down?” he asked, stunned.

The man turned to look at Kyungsoo. “Sure am, kid. Boss hasn’t been getting any business last few years, he’s thinkin’ about moving the place somewhere,” he replied.

“But you can’t shut down! This place has been here for years,” Kyungsoo said. “What’s the matter, love?” Jongin asked, sensing Kyungsoo’s distress.

“This place is shutting down in a week,” he told Jongin.

“Didn’t you kids see the notice up at the entrance?” the man asked.

“No,” Kyungsoo shook his head numbly. They had parked the car a few feet away from the entrance to jump over the wall, since Chanyeol and Baekhyun didn’t have enough money. Kyungsoo suddenly wished they that _did_ pay for the tickets. They can’t have been the only kids scaling the five foot wall in the past years to avoid paying for the tickets.

“I’m sorry to hear that, sir, it was just a little…” Kyungsoo trailed off. It was akin to having his house ripped apart by a hurricane; he just couldn’t deal with it.

“Came as a shock for all of us, kid. None of us expected it either. Oh, your friend got all ten. Choose any of the toys then,” he said, holding an arm out to all the toys wrapped in plastic bags hung above them. Luhan, surprising Kyungsoo for the second time today, also managed to get all ten bottles. Jongin picked out a furry little teddy bear, handing it to Kyungsoo shyly.

Kyungsoo gave him a kiss when the guy wasn’t looking, thanking Jongin quietly. Luhan pointed at the biggest Brownie plushie Kyungsoo had ever seen, struggling to hold it. “This is for Sehun,” he said eloquently to Kyungsoo.

“I’m sure he’ll love it,” Kyungsoo nodded. They spent another hour playing game at every stall, Jongin winning all sorts of plushies for Kyungsoo. He was excellent at target shooting, even better than Luhan, and Kyungsoo was absurdly pleased to see that Jongin was a pro at all the games.

At the end, they had to ask for a bag to fit all the toys in, and Kyungsoo held hands with Jongin happily, bag of synthetic happiness in his other hand.

“Are we ready to leave, guys? My mom is coming home soon,” Baekhyun said to them, all four, fluffy toy key chains Chanyeol had won for him hanging from his ears. He had quite a few prizes as well, and his arms were crammed full with soft toys, boxes of more toys and a small bag of assorted candy. Kyungsoo checked his watch and saw that they’d been here for at least three hours, although it didn’t feel like it.

“I guess so,” Kyungsoo called back, hugging the bag to his chest. “Are you ready to go home?” Kyungsoo asked Jongin.

“With you,” Jongin said, nodding. They held hands and walked out of the amusement park, genuine smiles on their faces, plushies in hand. Kyungsoo didn’t think the day could get any more perfect.

In the car, Chanyeol was revving up the Daewoo when Baekhyun suddenly cursed, shocking all four pairs of listening ears. “Fuck. We need to play a new CD,” Baekhyun said, looking like he was on the edge of sanity.

“Really, is that a reason to swear so loudly—”

“I didn’t bring enough CDs! What do I do, Chanyeol, please forgive me,” Baekhyun sobbed into his lap, breaking down. Jongin lifted an eyebrow at Kyungsoo. “It’s just them. Normal people aren’t like this,” Kyungsoo reassured him. “Baek, I think there’s Taylor Swift in the thingy if you just open it up,” Kyungsoo said calmly.

Chanyeol was in the middle of soothing Baekhyun, enjoying it far too much in Kyungsoo’s opinion. “There is a Taylor Swift CD in this car?” he asked hollowly. He hated Taylor with his guts. Kyungsoo shrugged at Chanyeol. “You’re the one who wanted to date him.”

Meanwhile, Baekhyun shot up from Chanyeol’s lap and dug into the compartment in front of him, flinging CDs all over the place. Moments later, he held up Taylor’s first album up triumphantly, playing the CD. If his face was an emoticon, it would’ve been the one with tears and a happy smile.

Jongin and Luhan suddenly stiffened at both of Kyungsoo’s sides. Taylor Swift’s Fifteen blasted from the stereo, but they seemed to hear something none of them could.

“Chanyeol, my good man, can this vehicle go any faster than the usual pace?” Jongin said, looking at the back of the car. There were only buildings all around, as far as Kyungsoo could tell, but Jongin looked tense, sensing something intuitively.

“Sure, why not?” Chanyeol replied.

“There’s a wolf here. You may have to hurry up a bit if you want to live, Chanyeol,” Luhan said nonchalantly, sliding down the seat.

“What? Where?” Chanyeol asked, looking in the rear view mirror. Kyungsoo looked around too, but saw nothing. “Jongin, is there really a wolf out there?” Kyungsoo asked. He nodded.

“You wouldn’t want to see a wolf, Chanyeol. Go,” Jongin urged. The Daewoo lurched forward into the street just as a huge black and white wolf leaped out of an alley, growling and spitting at the Daewoo. Chanyeol caught a glance in the rear view mirror, and it was all he needed to start yelling, racing down the road.

“Holy shit, it’s a real one!” Baekhyun gasped, looking over his shoulder. “Hold the toy, will you?” Luhan asked pleasantly, handing the Brownie plushie to Baekhyun. Chanyeol sped past other cars, people looking in astonishment as a wolf ran past their cars, chasing after a beat up Daewoo.

“Take us to the Portal, Chanyeol,” Jongin told Chanyeol. “No problem, bro,” Chanyeol said, laughing in disbelief. He grazed past two Ford cars, receiving dirty looks from the drivers.

“What? Jongin, what are you planning to do?” Kyungsoo asked.

“Protect us, of course. Brother, are you well enough for battle?” Jongin looked over at him. Luhan said yes. “I just smoked some weed, Kai, I’m well enough to take on ten wolves your size.”

Chanyeol turned sharply down a quiet road, leading the wolf on while it chased after them relentlessly. “Step on it, Yeol, it’s fucking right there behind us!” Baekhyun screeched. Chanyeol changed gears, the car whooshing forward. He went past a car, which stopped by the side of the road to avoid the wolf.

The wolf still managed to catch up, speeding up and keeping the Daewoo within ten feet of itself. “Jongin, do you know who it is?” Kyungsoo asked, looking at the ugly thing.

“It’s been fed vampire blood to poison its mind, my love. That was how Yifan managed to influence many of my kind to follow him into the Uprising,” Jongin replied, taking off Baekhyun’s clothes. Luhan was doing the same, noticing that the road was starting to look familiar, trees appearing in their windows.  

“Chanyeol, stop when I tell you to,” Jongin instructed, unbuttoning Baekhyun’s pants. He nodded, sweat running down his face. Baekhyun whimpered, putting on his seatbelt for the first time. “I don’t want to die!” he wailed. Kyungsoo rolled his eyes, holding onto the front seats tightly.

 _“Where are you going? Where you running to? Hey, little monster…”_ Kyungsoo thought the music was rather befitting. The house loomed up ahead, and Jongin braced himself, kicking off his pants and putting a hand on the door handle.

“Kai, do I stop now?” Chanyeol asked.

“No, not yet!” Jongin said, keeping an eye on the wolf.  

The Daewoo streaked down the street, the wolf gaining up on them. It leapt into the air, jaw open and sharp claws out for prey.

“Now!” Jongin shouted, flinging the door open. Chanyeol stepped on the brake hard, twisting the wheel to the left to lose momentum.

Jongin Phased midair, hands reaching for the wolf. Kyungsoo shut his eyes, praying the Daewoo wouldn’t hit the house as greenery swirled outside. He heard a loud crash that sounded like thunder, feeling Luhan climb over him.

Kyungsoo felt the car tipping to the right, balanced perfectly on two tyres. All those high school years of studying Physics kicked in, and Kyungsoo flung himself towards the open door, away from the direction the car was leaning, grabbing hold of the edge of the seat as soft toys floated past his view. For a split second, the car didn’t move. Then, excruciatingly slow, it leaned to the left once more, righting itself with a muffled crash on the grass beneath the wheels.

Kyungsoo landed on his stomach with an oof, the car door in front of him swinging helplessly. Through all that, Jongin and Luhan worked together in unison, tearing the wolf apart. Kyungsoo could tell Luhan was the smaller wolf, with the slightest grey on the tip of his tail. The wolf bit down on Luhan’s leg in an attempt to weaken their attacks, one of its back legs seemingly broken, but Jongin got up on the wolf, his jaw going for the throat.

Blood spurted high up into the air. Droplets of it splashed on the Daewoo like rain, dotting Luhan and Jongin’s fur as well. The wolf twitched, a low howl clawing its way out of its throat. Jongin stepped away from it, waiting for the last flickers of life from the wolf to die out.

Kyungsoo watched the wolf Phase with difficulty, bones crunching this way and that to shrink, fur becoming bronzed skin. In a blink of an eye, the wolf became a woman, lying naked on the street in a pool of her own blood.

 _***“Kongen vil høre om min død, jeg lover deg det, Kai,”_ she rasped. _“Yifan vil regjere igjen, og han vil bryte halsen som en kvist,”_ she hissed, blood spilling out from her mouth, dribbling down her chin.   _“The King will hear of my death, I promise you that, Kai. Yifan will reign once more, and he will break your neck like a twig.”_

 _“Jeg er ikke den eneste av mitt slag, Kai. All hagl den skammelige kongen!”_ she uttered, and her head went limp, eyes wide open and glassy. _“I’m not the only one of my kind, Kai. All hail the nefarious King.”_

Jongin listened to every word silently. The girl’s voice echoed in Kyungsoo’s mind, her words somehow chilling to him. Luhan mouthed at Jongin’s neck, bowing his head. Jongin blinked once, looking down at the girl’s dead body. The forest beside them was dead silent, not a single bird chirping.

Kyungsoo got out with their clothes, waiting for them to Phase back. “What did she say?” Kyungsoo asked Jongin. He Phased, looking a little shaken and bloody. Luhan took his clothes from Kyungsoo in his mouth, trotting into the trees delicately.

“What did she say?” Kyungsoo repeated. Baekhyun and Chanyeol were watching them as well, wanting to know what was going on.

“She promised Yifan would know of her death, love. She was one of his underlings sent to kill us both, I believe. I will have to inform my men of this,” Jongin said stiffly, putting on his pants. Chanyeol and Baekhyun got out of the car, going up to Jongin. “What should we do with the body?” Baekhyun asked.

“You both have to leave. Leave before someone traces the wolf back here,” Kyungsoo told them. “Can we come back later and stay with you guys? It doesn’t seem safe to be around if what Kai said is true,” Baekhyun said.

“What do you think, Jongin? Should they?” Kyungsoo asked. But he knew they couldn’t come. They had to get the Daewoo out of here, and they had to clean up the blood spatters before anyone reported it to the authorities.

Jongin seemed to think of the same thing and looked at the both of them, one fluffy key chain still dangling from Baekhyun’s ear. “You are welcome to come to Lycanfort any time. If you believe your safety is threatened, bring yourself and your family across the Portal. Perhaps I will send someone to watch over you both,” he said thoughtfully.

“But my love, you will have to come with me. I will not risk your safety, above all else,” Jongin said firmly. Luhan came out of the trees, all dressed up, although smeared with blood in some places, his attempt to clean up evident.

“Okay, but my friends—you can’t expect me to leave them here,” Kyungsoo protested. “No, Kyungsoo, it’s fine. I’ll cover for you; say you’re at my place or something. Just stay with Kai, it’d be safer for you. We have the cops here anyway,” Baekhyun said hopefully.

“Are you sure?” Kyungsoo asked. “I could stay with Baekhyun if it makes you feel better,” Luhan offered.

“That’s not a bad idea,” Jongin said. Chanyeol agreed to stay with Baekhyun a little longer. “My parents don’t mind,” he said.

“You know how to reach me if anything goes wrong,” Jongin said to Luhan, lifting an eyebrow. Luhan nodded silently. “All right then. We should go,” Jongin said, pulling Kyungsoo to the house. “Bye,” he waved at Baekhyun and Chanyeol.

“Stay safe,” Chanyeol called out.

Jongin and Kyungsoo went up to the Portal, stepping into the Portal together. He had so many questions for Jongin, he wanted to ask him all kinds of things, like would they actually survive this damn war, but he kept mum, leaning on Jongin’s chest.

“It’s going to be alright… Right?” he asked.

“Yes, my love. Everything’s going to be fine.”

But when they went through the Portal, Kyungsoo could feel that something was not right. If they were gone about three hours, then a day or so must’ve already passed in Lycanfort. _Did something happen?_ He thought. _I don’t feel so good about this_ , he grimaced in the water. Their day was going on so nicely a while ago, but now suddenly everything seemed to go to hell in a wicker basket.

They landed in Lycanfort on their feet, Jongin holding the both of them up while he coughed up water. It was sunset in Lycanfort, and a guard in metal armour was standing beside the Portal, and he saluted Jongin. He was surprised to have someone at the Portal waiting for them, but he nodded at him.

“My King, I have rather bad news to report,” the guard said. “What is it?” Jongin asked.

“The Europeans have launched attacks on two villages in the past two days, Master. We have attempted to steer them away, but their forces are formidable. There is word that Yifan leads them through the country by foot, and he will reach us within a week.”

Kyungsoo stared at him in horror.

“How many deaths?” Jongin asked grimly. “500 victims have been reported. The exact value is still to be calculated,” the guard replied.

“Fuck,” Kyungsoo said under his breath. “I have been asked to escort you back to the castle, my King. May I?” he pointed at two horses grazing grass near the trees.

“Yes. Take us back, please,” Jongin replied.

*

At the castle, Jongin launched right into action, going into his office without a word. Throughout the ride, Kyungsoo wanted to apologize, but he didn’t know how to. If he never offered to go up to his world, then all those deaths could’ve been avoided. Something could have been done to remedy this, but it was all in the past now.

He had to live with his mistake, and Jongin had to pay for it dearly.

He stayed in Jongin’s room, his books still sitting on the floor where he had left it. Eunyoung dropped by to serve him dinner but left quickly. There was a shortage of staff, because some of them had lost their relatives in the European’s attacks. They were mourning, and most of them were given time off work. “It’s the Uprising all over again,” she shook her head. “Yifan seemed to have called back some of those up in your world, and many of them were wolves.” It was a relief to hear that in a way. At least the army was concentrated in this world, rather than both worlds.

He wanted to talk to somebody, but there was no one to talk to. Luhan and Baekhyun were back up there, and he couldn’t very well go back now. Kyungsoo felt like he was drowning, the burden of 500 lives weighing down on him.

“I should never have come back,” Kyungsoo said to himself. But he knew he couldn’t stay from Jongin for very long. Fate seemed to have a funny way of putting them back together.

 _God_ , he thought. _Someone help me._

Kyungsoo paced around the room, unable to sit down. His baked salmon sat on the table, growing cold. What could he do to help Jongin? Who was significant enough to be sacrificed and to end the war? Was it either Jongin or himself?

If only he had some way of looking into the future, and he wouldn’t have to worry so much over the sacrifice.

The door burst open, and Kyungsoo jumped about a foot in the air. Jongin stood there, staring at Kyungsoo breathlessly.

“What’s wrong?” Kyungsoo asked.

“I could ask you the same thing. Why did you call for help?” Jongin replied.

“What? I didn’t. I was just here thinking—” He cut himself off. Did Jongin hear his thoughts?

“You did, my love. I heard you. Are you feeling alright? You look pale,” Jongin said, coming close to him. He took Kyungsoo into his arms, hugging him to his chest. “Eat your dinner, _min kjærlighet._ It is not advisable to skip meals,” he murmured. Kyungsoo noticed he had already changed into his own clothes, his skin dry but his hair still a little damp.

“I know, Jongin, it—nothing,” he muttered, hugging Jongin back.

“What is it? Tell me, my love. I know something is bothering you,” he said, pulling back. He led Kyungsoo to the bed like a child, sitting him down. He ran a hand through Kyungsoo’s hair lovingly, trying to meet his gaze _. I don’t deserve this_ , Kyungsoo thought, feeling heat behind his eyes. He tried not to cry, breathing deeply. Jongin waited patiently.

“Jongin, I—I have to apologize first, before anything,” Kyungsoo said, feeling a migraine coming on. “Apologize? Why?” Jongin asked, puzzled.

“Those people who died, it’s my fault. I shouldn’t have told you to come up to my world,” Kyungsoo said sadly, looking down at a spot on the sheets.

“My love, it’s not your fault,” Jongin started. “No, it is! Why does everything come with a price when it comes to you? All those people could’ve been alive if I just stayed here with you—”

Jongin shushed, hugging him once more. “This happened to me as well when I went into battle for the first time, _min kjærlighet,_ the unbearable guilt of not being able to save so many lives. There will always be casualties in war. I am not saying that those who died didn’t mean anything, because it did, and we will find a way to stop this war.”

“What if I’m the sacrifice? What if you’re the sacrifice, Jongin? I… I don’t want to lose you,” Kyungsoo hiccupped, feeling stupid for crying.

“My father always said to write your own destiny,” Jongin breathed, caressing Kyungsoo. “You know, I once went to a fortune teller and she told me that I’d find a great love in my life,” Kyungsoo muttered. “Obviously, I didn’t believe her.”

“Then you’ll spend the rest of your life with me,” Jongin said, sounding confident. “She also said I had a short life line,” he whispered.

Jongin looked down at him. “Don’t believe that, my love. And if anything should happen to you in this war,” Jongin fingered his lips gently. “I promise to follow you swiftly after, my love. We’ll be together, even in death,” he said.

“I’d like that,” Kyungsoo said, kissing his fingertips. Jongin returned his kiss with one of his own, pushing Kyungsoo down on the bed. He mouthed at Kyungsoo’s jaw, leaving gentle kisses all over Kyungsoo to comfort him.

“Don’t leave me,” Kyungsoo said softly, tears obstructing his view. “Never,” Jongin promised. 

*

Jongdae paid Kyungsoo a visit later at night, when Jongin was still busy in his office. “Hey. Got a minute?” Jongdae had knocked on his door. Kyungsoo was in bed, tossing and turning, trying to get some sleep, but he decided to let Jongdae in. Maybe Jongdae could tell him something good. He looked concerned and hyped up about the war when he opened the door.

“Where’s Luhan? And Baekhyun?” Jongdae asked, entering the room. “They’re up in my world,” Kyungsoo replied.

“Explains a lot. Sehun left this world too. Said he could feel Luhan wasn’t in the same world, or something like that,” he waved a hand. “Anyway, did you hear about Yifan’s attacks? I’m assuming you did—”

“Yeah, I did. It’s kind of my fault it happened too,” Kyungsoo muttered. “What? Why?” Jongdae asked, baffled. “How’s it your fault?” he sat down on a step, waiting for Kyungsoo to answer. Kyungsoo joined him, avoiding his gaze.

“I asked Jongin to bring us up to my world, and we were gone for so long that maybe if we had just stayed then all those people wouldn’t have died—”

“Yifan knew you left, Kyungsoo,” Jongdae interrupted. “Pardon?”

“He has ways of tracking the both of you. The minute you left, he knew that Lycanfort was vulnerable, and I guess yeah, it’s a pretty stupid move to leave the kingdom with both members of the royal family,” Jongdae said.

“But Luhan insisted on coming!” Kyungsoo protested, but then stopped. Jongin could’ve stopped Luhan from coming, but Kyungsoo told him not to anyway. Either way, it was Kyungsoo’s fault, and he had to bear it. There was no point in blaming Yifan.

He sighed, placing a hand on his forehead. “I’ve made _such_ a big mess,” he mumbled. Jongdae didn’t say anything, just patted Kyungsoo on the back. “If it makes you feel better, everything that’s happened so far has already been prophesied a long time ago. It’s not really your fault, so don’t be too hard on yourself. Fate’s a bitch to all of us,” Jongdae laughed bitterly.

“I hope we win the war then,” Kyungsoo said. “And then Yifan’s armies could just leave us alone.”

“You know, I can offer you guys some assistance,” Jongdae said slowly, looking at Kyungsoo with an apprehensive expression. Kyungsoo blinked at him.

“How so?”

“Well for starters, did you know that some werewolves are very reluctant in killing their own kind, even if they’re the ones who defected to Yifan’s side?”

“No, I didn’t know that. Jongin killed a female werewolf back when we were up in my world though,” Kyungsoo said.

“Kai was protecting you. He would’ve burned the world into ashes if it made you safe,” Jongdae rolled his eyes. “Oh.”

“But listen. I have a few contacts in Europe who… to put it delicately, rather kill themselves than to work for Yifan. Besides, Yifan’s not much of a leader anymore. He looks strong, but he’s been weakened ever since Tao came around.”

“Why are you telling me this, and not Jongin instead?” Kyungsoo asked. It would be wonderful if there were a few vampires in Jongin’s army. They would have a little bit more advantage in the war, and didn’t the saying go like, ‘Whoever is an enemy of my enemy is an ally’ or something like that?

“Werewolves don’t generally _want_ to work with vampires, remember? Luhan isn’t here right now, otherwise I’d be telling him instead of you. He’s more convincing, but you…” Jongdae gave him a once over glance, a dimple appearing in his cheek. “Your word will work just fine. Kai listens to you, doesn’t he?” Jongdae said.

“I—I… I don’t know if I can do it,” Kyungsoo rubbed the back of his neck.

“What d’you mean, you can’t? You _did_ have sex with him, right?”

“Oh God, not you too.”

“What? I’m just saying,” Jongdae rolled his eyes. “Give it a try. You won’t know what he’ll say till he hears it from you, right?”

“Well, let’s say I manage to convince him but it doesn’t change the course of the war. Then wouldn’t it have been in vain?” Kyungsoo asked.

“Then we all die,” Jongdae shrugged. “It’s just how it is.”


	10. you and I... we were born to die

Kyungsoo picked up a sword from the vast array of Jongin’s collection of weapons, feeling the heavy weight of it. It gleamed like silver fire in the light, a holy fire that could cleanse the world of evil.

It was however, too heavy for Kyungsoo to even hold it up without pulling a muscle somewhere in his upper body. Jongin stifled a laugh, earning a glare from Kyungsoo. “Hold it up with two hands first, my love. With more experience, you’ll be able to use the sword with only one hand,” he told Kyungsoo reassuringly, putting a hand over Kyungsoo’s hand and lifting the sword up easily.

Kyungsoo sighed, looking up at Jongin. “Are you sure I can do this?” Kyungsoo asked. They had been practicing in the gardens for the last two days, Jongin insisting that Kyungsoo should be able to at least swing a sword. “Just in case,” he had said quietly.

Kyungsoo still hadn’t yet gained the courage however, during the past two days, to ask Jongin about the Europeans who were willing to help him win the war. Every moment, like now, seemed like a wrong time to bring the subject up, and for now he decided to wait it out, at least until the time seemed right.

“I have faith in you, love, so trust in yourself,” Jongin said kindly, releasing his hold on the sword. Unprepared, Kyungsoo let it clunk down heavily into the grass.

“Oh, I will, once I can hold this hunk of metal up. I don’t know how you do it anyway,” Kyungsoo replied grumpily. So far, he had all the basics down (sort of). He knew how to stand with one foot before the other, and to keep both hands on the sword, using a bit of wrist work to move it about. But that was all he knew about fighting with a sword, and he knew he would have better luck at cooking on Masterchef than all this attacking and blocking.

“Try to lift it up like how I taught you. I’ll attack you, and you’ll have to defend. All right, love?” Jongin asked, moving away from him and removing his sword from his sheath at his side. There were eye bags under his eyes from little sleep, but he still wanted to teach Kyungsoo a few more things before taking a nap.

“You know, Jongin… You look absolutely terrible right now. Can you stop coming to bed at dawn and just sleep with me when it’s time?” Kyungsoo said, lifting up the sword with much effort, his arms screaming in pain.

“You know very well why I cannot,” Jongin said, moving his sword this way and that experimentally, and came in at Kyungsoo from an angle. He was however deliberately slow at it, so Kyungsoo managed to block him just fine. A quick step of his left foot to the right, a flicker of the wrist, and orange sparked between their swords. Kyungsoo pulled back, returning to his original position.

The reason that Jongin couldn’t come in to bed with Kyungsoo at the usual nightly hours was because he had to stay up late to wait for his men he had sent out the previous day to return with reports.

Some days he waited for hours, spending some time with Kyungsoo but with a shadow over his face, anxious about his men. The attacks fended off Yifan’s army for a bit, but they kept surging in numbers and resurfacing, stronger each time. Every day, Jongin lost hundreds of men to Yifan, and he would have to get them to fall back some time or other, otherwise there wouldn’t be enough soldiers for the real war.

 They had estimated that Yifan might take a little longer than eight days if they kept hindering the journey, but once Yifan reached the town of Lycanfort there was no stopping him from teleporting right into the castle.

It made Kyungsoo angry and disappointed to see Jongin drained all the time, but still pushing himself. “You have to rest some time,” Kyungsoo pointed out, sweat running down his face. Jongin smiled, lifting his sword into the air and letting it drop towards Kyungsoo’s head. Kyungsoo blocked his attack in time, since Jongin was going slow again.

“I can’t very well be sleeping when my men return to me with reports on the Europeans,” Jongin replied nonchalantly. “Can you hurry up with your attacks already?” Kyungsoo said crossly. His arms hurt from holding up the sword for so long, and he hated how Jongin treated him like he was a piece of thin glass. If he was going to swing, then swing—

Abruptly, Jongin sliced the air with his sword, swinging it inches away from Kyungsoo’s chest. Kyungsoo dodged it by leaning backwards, emitting a loud, surprised squeak. Unfortunately, that left him open to Jongin’s next move; he side stepped Kyungsoo fluidly, gracefully sliding past him in less than a second.

A beat too late, Kyungsoo turned around clumsily, hands gripping the sword in the hopes that maybe he would just injure Jongin and get this shit over with, but Jongin already had a calloused hand around Kyungsoo’s neck, the edge of the sword close to his jugular. Kyungsoo felt Jongin’s warm body pressed up behind him, a hand steadying his waist. “Careful what you ask for, my love,” Jongin smiled, whispering in his ear. Then Kyungsoo’s hand jiggled involuntarily, and he realized that Jongin had disarmed him within two seconds. 

“You’re no fun,” Kyungsoo muttered, dropping his sword in surrender. Jongin pressed a kiss to his neck and Kyungsoo felt his lips curve into a smile. “I rather enjoyed that, as a matter of fact. Didn’t you?” he asked huskily, lowering his sword down to his side. Suddenly winter wasn’t as cold with Jongin around. “I don’t know, do you enjoy getting slashed at by someone you’re in love with?” Kyungsoo replied lightly. Jongin pulled at Kyungsoo’s body, turning him around roughly to fully face him.

“How dare you manhandle me?” Kyungsoo asked softly without vehemence, Jongin’s lips inches away from his face. He couldn’t help staring at his lips; they looked so pink and soft from this close…

“I don’t think you quite understand how much I like it when you admit that you are in love with me,” Jongin said, voice low like he was revealing a secret. How did things get steamy so quickly? Kyungsoo wasn’t sure but he knew that if Jongin didn’t kiss him soon, his legs just might buckle over.

“Why don’t you show me then?” Kyungsoo said tentatively. Jongin’s eyes darkened, and he flung his sword aside. It was the only warning Kyungsoo received before Jongin swept Kyungsoo up, giving him a hard kiss on the mouth. Kyungsoo still was apprehensive about PDA (clearly Jongin didn’t share his thoughts) but he was given no chance to think more about it when Jongin sighed into his mouth, his hot breath tingling Kyungsoo in places he’d rather not admit were tingling.

Jongin hooked his fingers into Kyungsoo’s belt loops, tugging him closer. Kyungsoo had his eyes closed more in embarrassment than in ecstasy, but Jongin didn’t mind, kissing Kyungsoo over and over again. Kyungsoo couldn’t say he didn’t enjoy _this_ though, this part where he had the chance to spend more time with Jongin.

“What do you say to taking this to our room, _min kjærlighet_?” Jongin finally broke away to say. He had gotten Kyungsoo and himself all sweaty, hair sticking to his forehead and Kyungsoo parted out his fringe nicely, arranging Jongin’s hair into a more presentable look. _It doesn’t sound right to let people see their King looking like he had just made out in the open,_ Kyungsoo thought.

“I’d say that we’re still in training and we should probably continue… Right?” Kyungsoo lifted an eyebrow at Jongin.

“Perhaps you could join me for a nap,” Jongin rubbed his hands all over Kyungsoo’s arms. “Have a lie down, eh?”

“Oh, look who’s interested in sleeping with me now,” Kyungsoo snorted. Jongin laughed at his indignant expression. “Come now, love, don’t be like that,” Jongin cajoled smoothly, wrapping his arms around Kyungsoo.

“No… I mean I want to. I really do, in all seriousness. But you,” Kyungsoo patted Jongin’s cheek fondly. “Frankly, you look like shit, and you need time to sleep.”

“But we have all the time in the world,” Jongin said softly, bending forward to kiss Kyungsoo gently, mouthing at Kyungsoo’s bottom lip. Kyungsoo moaned into Jongin’s mouth, tempted by Jongin’s irresistible offer. They could spend the afternoon lounging in bed and maybe Jongin would do nasty things to him again—

 _I can’t do this_ , Kyungsoo pulled away from Jongin abruptly, looking up at him. _I’m getting free afternoons while real men are dying somewhere out there, trying to save us._ “I… I think we should just get back to training,” Kyungsoo said weakly. Jongin cocked an eyebrow at him.

“My love, is something wrong?”

“No no, nothing’s wrong. Shall we get back to whacking swords at each other again?” Kyungsoo said, putting on a fake, bright smile. He stepped away from Jongin to pick up his sword from the grass to avoid Jongin’s somewhat hurt and confused gaze. “ _Min_ _kjærlighet,_ if this is about the sacrifice…”

“It’s more than that, Jongin,” Kyungsoo said, frustration seeping into his voice. He didn’t want to see Jongin looking like that, the light going out of his eyes.

“It’s more than us, Jongin, I just—I can’t, and I don’t know how to live with myself with the fact that there’s so many people out there laying their lives down for us, _your_ people dying for you and I, when they hardly even know us. It hurts to know that someone lost their life today, just because they were living in the wrong town,” Kyungsoo said, feeling his chest starting to clench again.

“On the verge of sounding selfish and spoilt, love, I must say that my people know the price they pay to be under my protection,” Jongin replied. “It’s not right for people to die, yes, but you…” Jongin lifted a hand to Kyungsoo’s face, stepping into Kyungsoo’s space.  His thumb stroked Kyungsoo’s cheek slowly, his gaze boring into Kyungsoo.

“You are worth it, my love, to me. Perhaps you don’t see it the way I do, the way you enamour me so,” Jongin said softly, sincerely, with no pretence on his part. “You are worth more than my kingdom, my love, and I mean that in the most genuine way. Maybe that makes me a terrible ruler in some ways, but can you blame me?” Jongin asked. Kyungsoo’s heart skipped a beat (or maybe already completely stopped) as he listened to Jongin.

“I do think it’s weird that I keep coming back, no matter how hard I try to stay away,” Kyungsoo blurted, which had nothing with what he wanted to do _at all_.

No, what he wanted to say was how much he loved Jongin and he really wasn’t worth the entire kingdom, not at all. No, not for all the werewolves in Lycanfort, not worth the soldiers Jongin kept deploying and certainly not all of Jongin’s love. Kyungsoo wanted to shake Jongin by the shoulders, try to make him see that he really wasn’t all that great. He hadn’t even gotten his degree yet, for God’s sake.

“That wasn’t what I was going to say,” Kyungsoo cleared his throat, mentally berating himself.

“I thought so,” Jongin smiled, amused. _Goddammit, stop smiling, you handsome jerk_ , Kyungsoo thought. “Um, what I think I was trying to say is that uh…” Kyungsoo dithered while Jongin waited patiently.

“I’m not that guy who everyone falls for, Jongin; you have to believe me when I say this. I’m no smooth talker, I’m not very academic, and frankly not much to die for, if you get my point. And I love you. Like a lot, more than I care to admit… More than I _want_ to admit, in fact, Jongin, because every time I’m certain of my feelings, something comes along and rocks my boat and it scares me because I care about you, so much that I wouldn’t know what to do without you. It’s like looking for something more than perfection, and really, what’s better than perfect?”

“You’re getting off point, love,” Jongin said fondly, brushing away some of Kyungsoo’s hair from his face. He didn’t quite understand why Jongin was looking so fine and dandy in this argument, but Kyungsoo ignored his gaze, pretended that his heart wasn’t feeling anything when Jongin fixed his intent gaze on Kyungsoo.

“Right. Um. Well, all I was trying to say in my long speech was that people dying in my name, our name, isn’t right. And I feel like we should do something about it, instead of just frolic around with each other.”

“All I’m asking is that we spend more time together,” Jongin smiled, seemingly pleased with where the conversation was headed. “Forget the war, forget Yifan, forget Lycanfort, my love. Put those things out of your mind, love, because those are _my_ obligations. I want you to just be… mine. Do you... Do you hear what I’m saying?” Jongin asked.

Kyungsoo looked up at him, feeling dumbfounded. He would love to be Jongin’s property, in every sense of that word, but it seemed wrong, so wrong, to be happy when there was so much going on—

“You’re over thinking again, love,” Jongin lifted an eyebrow at his stunned expression. 

“No, I’m not, I just—”

“What did I just say?” Jongin asked, reaching for Kyungsoo’s hand. He let Jongin hold his hand, although he felt quite indignant. “You mean the part where you just pretty much said that it’s okay people are dying out there?”

“Nobody said it was alright, but it’s for me to worry about, not you,” Jongin insisted.

“I don’t think I can do that, Jongin. If this is some kind of weird ‘I should take the blame’ kind of attitude, then you need to drop it because we are in this crappy hole together. We either worry about stuff _together,_ or we don’t be together. At all.”

Jongin raised an eyebrow again. Kyungsoo was breaking all the records today, getting Jongin to lift his eyebrow at him more than once within less than a minute, PDA to the public for free… What else was Kyungsoo going to do?

“I don’t think you’ve ever been this mad at me. Ever,” Jongin stated. It wasn’t anything Kyungsoo thought he would say, and it took the wind out of his sails, quite frankly.

“Who said I’m mad at you? I’m just really frustrated—”

“Then come here, I’ll give you a hug, maybe a tiny kiss, and this fit of yours will be over,” Jongin said, pulling Kyungsoo in for a big hug. Kyungsoo was crushed to Jongin’s chest, his stiffly patterned clothes leaving marks on Kyungsoo’s palm.

“Is this how it’s going to be every time we fight?” Kyungsoo mumbled emotionlessly, putting a hand around Jongin, his other hand still holding the sword.

 “Yes,” Jongin replied, laughing. He kissed Kyungsoo on the top of his head and withdrew to look at him, a very mushy expression on his face. “I don’t think I liked it when we argued, but I like this part,” he said, leaning in for a kiss. Kyungsoo kissed him back, his anger and frustration melting away in Jongin’s embrace. He wondered if it was always going to be like this between them; Jongin, the one who always did the comforting and cleaning up after the messes Kyungsoo made.

“Sorry for the outburst then,” Kyungsoo muttered petulantly.

“It wasn’t too bad. I don’t suppose we could pick up again, though, from where we left off?” Jongin asked suggestively. Kyungsoo wanted to snort at Jongin and then maybe drag him back to his room, but it didn’t seem like the right reaction. Besides, he still wasn’t sure about just letting Jongin do all the emotional work that came with being a King of a kingdom at war.

Before he could even decide what he wanted to say, Kyungsoo spotted Suho walking through the glass doors, apparently headed towards them with papers in hand and a concerned expression on his face.

“Wonder what does he want?” Kyungsoo said absently. Jongin turned around and saw Suho as well, his body posture tensing up. “He’s returned with the reports,” Jongin said solemnly, and walked in Suho’s direction. Kyungsoo understood at once that their little sword session was over.

Kyungsoo was never ‘dismissed’ whenever something came up, but he always snuck away whenever Jongin wasn’t paying attention to him. He wasn’t an army general and had no understanding of warfare. This was all Jongin’s jurisdiction, and he would gladly step aside for Jongin. It wouldn’t do to be a distraction anyway.

When Suho spouted a string of words in Jongin’s language, he knew it was his cue to leave. Whatever had happened in the south, where the Europeans were coming from, Kyungsoo didn’t really want to know. He wasn’t ready, would never truly be ready for the carnage, the statistics and the consequences of loving a man like Jongin.

That left Kyungsoo feeling a bit lonely, wandering away from the castle gardens to look for company. The only people he could think of right now was Yixing and Minseok. The two had bonded ever since their little trip to Europe, and shared a love for animals and herbal medicine. Kyungsoo wondered if Yixing had stopped by, and if so, did Jongdae happen to be around?

Kyungsoo went to what sounded like the most reasonable place for Yixing and Minseok to be; the stables. He found out the other day that a few miles from the stables were cattle, food for the Lycanfort castle and its inhibitors. He had wanted to see the live chickens and cows, but stopped short when realized that the animals would be eaten someday and he was definitely not ready to see Beatrice the chicken on his plate.

Yixing and Minseok _were_ at the stables, as Kyungsoo predicted. They were absorbed in a card game and barely noticed Kyungsoo’s arrival until one of the horses nibbled on Kyungsoo’s hair and he laughed, scaring the both of them. The cards flew into the air when Minseok’s knee jerked against the crate they were placed upon, and Kyungsoo didn’t know if he was supposed to continue laughing or to start crying.

“We’ll have to start again,” Minseok groaned. “Sorry,” Kyungsoo replied sheepishly.

“Kyungsoo, hey,” Yixing said, genuinely surprised. “I don’t think either of us expected you,” he said apologetically, helping Minseok to pick up the cards.

“Ah. Well. I didn’t exactly plan to come here as well. I thought I was going to spend the day with Jongin, but then Suho came along—”

“Oh yeah, with reports from the men down south,” Minseok nodded, rearranging the cards. Kyungsoo was surprised that Minseok already knew about the reports. “Oh, so you know what’s happened there already?”

“Yeah, some of the soldiers stopped by and we heard them talking. They said the casualties are going down ever since Jongin decided to evacuate them to the west and Yifan’s army barely had anyone left to kill, besides the soldiers themselves of course,” Minseok told Kyungsoo.

“He evacuated them?” Kyungsoo repeated hollowly. Jongin had never told him anything about that.

“Yes, he did. But since Yifan’s army aren’t making any stops now, they think he might be coming up here sooner than he anticipated, and with them coming our way fast, Kai’s probably going to get the men to fall back while they can,” Yixing continued for Minseok.

Kyungsoo blinked. Yixing patted an overturned, empty crate for him to sit, and he obeyed, feeling like he’d been slapped. But not in a bad way though.

“That’s… that’s really great. Isn’t it?” he said. There weren’t as many people dying as he thought. Maybe Jongin wasn’t doing such a terrible job as a King and Kyungsoo had been worrying too much after all. And now that he thought about it, why the hell wouldn’t Jongin do that? He _was_ King of Lycanfort.

“Er, I suppose, if you can think of the strongest European ever known to rule Europe pronouncing war on us as a good thing,” Minseok said. Yixing shushed him hurriedly. “Don’t be so negative. Just because he’s coming doesn’t mean he’s already won the war.” Kyungsoo had to admire Yixing’s everlasting optimism.

“But I’m scared too. I suppose you both know about the prophecy and everything…” Yixing nodded, finished collecting the cards. He handed them to Minseok and let him shuffle the cards around for another round.

“Everyone knows the prophecy, Kyungsoo. At first, people weren’t sure which King it would be, but once they knew that you were from the Pureblood world,” Yixing shrugged. “Everything just clicked in perfectly. The war is, in a way, expected. We’ve all known there was going to be a war someday. Are you joining us for this round?” Yixing asked.

“Um, sure. I don’t know how to play though,” Kyungsoo said while Minseok handed out the cards.

“Not to worry, Kyungsoo. We’ll teach you,” Yixing assured him.

They played cards for a good hour, the game surprisingly similar to UNO. Even though he sort of knew how to play, Kyungsoo still didn’t manage to win though. Yixing or Minseok always seemed to have the good cards while he kept getting normal, safe cards. Throughout the game, Yixing and Minseok told Kyungsoo about everything Jongin had done to keep werewolf blood from being spilled.

Kyungsoo, briefly, saw Jongin in a different light then. Not as a lover, not as a mate, not as someone he was destined to be with, but just a good person, someone who was making a conscious effort to keep his people safe. It brought Kyungsoo close to tears at one point, but he held them back.

“What’s stopping the Europeans from Portaling here?” Kyungsoo had asked to distract himself.

“Oh, that’s easy. If they’ve never been here, they can’t Portal here. Europeans can’t Portal to a place they’ve never been to, as they need to visualize it in their heads, so it’s the one flaw of Portaling,” Minseok answered chirpily.

That settled Kyungsoo nerves a little. At least it meant that Yifan would never Portal into their room at night.

At the end of the game, Minseok won, yelling and standing up in victory. Kyungsoo and Yixing clapped for him in good spirit, congratulating him on winning the game and scaring all of the horses at the same time.

In the back of his mind, Jongin lingered in his subconscious, an omniscient presence in his thoughts. It was all Kyungsoo could do not to run to Jongin and to just tell him over and over again that he was the amazing one between the both of them, that if anyone had to be sacrificed really, it should be Kyungsoo. There wasn’t much he could contribute to this war anyway.

“So have you told Kai about Jongdae’s proposition yet?” Yixing asked softly. Minseok wasn’t really paying attention, trying to calm the horses after he had yelled so loudly. He looked around for his basket of apples, shoving the red fruit into the horse’s face.

“Um, no, I haven’t actually. The right time hasn’t come yet,” he replied. It wasn’t the truth, and yet not a lie either. The truth was that he’d had plenty of opportunities to bring the subject up, but no courage to voice his thoughts.

“Do you think it’ll work though?” Kyungsoo asked. It seemed like Jongdae and Jongin were perfectly fine with each other’s company, but maybe that didn’t necessarily apply to other Europeans that had yet to prove their loyalty to Jongin’s side of the fence.

“Well, I understand his reluctance to work with Europeans. I, for one, didn’t trust Jongdae until he saved me from a snakebite by sucking the venom out,” Yixing laughed. Kyungsoo looked horrified. “You’ve been bitten by a snake before?”

“Of course I have. Have you seen my house? It’s right at the edge of the woods, of course there’ll be snakes,” Yixing replied. “But that’s not the point. The point is, I was being so mean to Jongdae by not offering him tea whenever he came over and he saved me from death just like that,” Yixing sighed. Kyungsoo was rather fixated on the fact that not offering tea to someone was actually mean to Yixing, but decided not to comment.

“Not all Europeans are vicious killers, you know. I know that now, and Jongdae would never betray Kai. You have to tell him that. Once he makes a choice, he doesn’t switch sides,” Yixing said matter-of-factly.

“I wish I had your firm optimism and trust,” Kyungsoo laughed.

“Oh it isn’t really optimism,” Yixing smiled back at him. “I like to think that in the end, good always triumphs over evil. I just feel reassured somehow that Kai will win this war for all of us.”

*

Kyungsoo thought more about Jongin as the day progressed. Jongin was stuck in the office, listening to boring reports and so on, and passed a message to Kyungsoo that he probably wouldn’t be free to see him till nightfall. It was fine with Kyungsoo, and told the servant girl to tell him so. He could take as much time as he needed; Kyungsoo wasn’t in urgent need of Jongin any time soon.

He had his lunch with Yixing and invited Minseok to join in as well. Yixing wasn’t particularly overwhelmed by the private dining hall, but Minseok looked downright frightened, as if he was afraid he would be executed for having his meals at Jongin’s table.

“Have either of you been up to my world?” Kyungsoo asked, sipping at his tomato soup. He added more sour cream to the soup as Minseok shook his head, while Yixing thought about it for a moment.

“I’ve been there, but only for a brief moment. I was seven, and the Portal wasn’t well guarded as it is now,” he said.

“You mean there’s a guard at the Portal all the time?” Kyungsoo asked. He’d never noticed anyone at the Portal.

“Why, of course,” Yixing replied, sounding surprised. “It’s guarded so that if a European comes through it, or anyone else for that matter, they’ll be taken in for questioning.” Thank God Kyungsoo had Jongin to cover for him when he and Baekhyun first came through the Portal.

“And what about you, Minseok? You’ve never had the chance to come up?” Kyungsoo turned to a twitchy Minseok.

“N-No, I’ve never been interested in the Pureblood world. Kai tells us tales of moving vehicles, made of something shiny and hard, and of strange, undead birds in the sky. It sounds terrifying,” Minseok shuddered.

“He was talking about cars and airplanes, I think,” Kyungsoo tried not to laugh. “They’re means of transportation,” he informed Yixing and Minseok.

“What ever is the matter with travelling by horse?” Yixing asked wondrously. “Er, the guys in the past wanted to expand their trade, so they travelled by sea at first, and then some guy invented the plane so—”

“It is bad enough that we ask so much of nature to feed us, let alone seize the skies for our own means,” Minseok interrupted. Kyungsoo paused. “Well, when you put it that way…”

“Sire!”

Kyungsoo almost dropped his spoon into his bowl when he heard Eunyoung’s voice echoing loudly in the hall. She came running through the entrance, breathless and sweaty. Her hair was a tangled, braided mess, but her eyes were bright, concentrated on Kyungsoo.

“Sire, there’s been a problem,” she heaved, placing a hand on the wall to calm herself. “What problem?” Kyungsoo asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

“Your companions, and the Young Master, they’re—”

“They’re here?” Kyungsoo asked, standing up. Eunyoung nodded furiously. Kyungsoo moved away from the table. “So what’s the problem? Did one of them get hurt?”

“Some vampires caught them on their way to the Portal and,” Eunyoung gulped for air, sweat dotting her brow. “Sir Baekhyun has been badly injured.”

That was all Kyungsoo needed to tear down the hallways, running out of the castle to get to the Portal. If Baekhyun died, it would be the last straw. He would have to put a bullet and a stake through Yifan’s heart to make himself feel better.

“Kyungsoo! Kyungsoo, wait! They’re already halfway here,” Yixing called out from behind him when Kyungsoo reached the castle gardens.

“What? How do you know?”

“You left before she could even say it properly. Don’t go after them now, you won’t be much of help even if you’re with them. I’ll get Jongdae now, he’s at home. You stay here and prepare for your companion’s arrival,” Yixing said, holding Kyungsoo by the shoulders.

“Do not, under any circumstance, touch Baekhyun’s wounds. Do you hear me, Kyungsoo? If he’s been infected with vampire blood, we can’t risk infecting you too. It’ll be off with our heads if Kai ever hears of it,” Yixing said, before taking off with Minseok.

Kyungsoo stomped the ground in frustration, angry that he was helpless to help anyone again. If it wasn’t Jongin injured, then it was Chanyeol. But now it was Baekhyun, a curious bystander if you will, in this war. He hated how Yifan played dirty like this, attacking people who had no real influence in the war. _Can someone just stop this already?_ Kyungsoo gritted his teeth, walking back into the castle.

 _I swear, Tao must be some kind of masochist if he can stand Yifan_ , Kyungsoo fumed, cursing Yifan and his good name, if he even had one.

As Kyungsoo made his way back into the castle, he spotted a few servants rushing back and forth through a hallway of empty, spare rooms, and Kyungsoo assumed that was where Baekhyun would be placed in upon arrival. There were servants holding things from folded white sheets to pillows into a particular room, and he stopped one of the girls carrying a basket full of scented herbs.

“Is there anything I can do to help?” he asked. She gave him a wide eyed, don’t-be-crazy sort of look, bringing her basket away from him as if he was about to snatch it away from her.

“We have everything under control, sire. We will inform you once your companion is of—”

“It’s my best friend that’s about to go in there. Can’t you just let me do one thing to help him in some way?” Kyungsoo pleaded. She pursed her lips at him in sympathy.

“If I may say so, sire… You wouldn’t know what to expect, and thus you would only be in the way. We are all trained to treat people who have been injured by the Europeans. Rest assured, sire. He’s in good hands,” she told him. Kyungsoo felt deflated.

“Can I at least see him before you guys treat him?” Kyungsoo practically begged. Didn’t she have any sympathy or feelings? How was he supposed to jus stand by doing nothing when his friend could be dying? She looked like she was about to refuse, but then looked over Kyungsoo’s shoulder in surprise.

“Of course you can, _min kjærlighet.”_   

_Jongin._

Kyungsoo turned around and saw Jongin walking towards him. “Jongin?” he heard himself say in a choked voice. He ran into Jongin’s arms, forgetting where he was at that moment.

“It’s Baekhyun, Jongin, he’s been hurt and I’m scared—” Jongin shushed him, crushing Kyungsoo to his chest. Kyungsoo had a desperate urge to cry but it didn’t seem so bad now that Jongin was here. He shut his eyes tightly, wanting to get away from everything and everyone except Jongin.

“Jongin, can we please, please go somewhere else?” Kyungsoo said, pressing his face into Jongin’s chest. Jongin’s hands were gentle on him, rubbing his back soothingly.

“The gardens?” Jongin asked. Kyungsoo nodded his reply.

Jongin led him away from the empty room, away from the prying eyes of the servants and his generals hanging around the castle. He walked in a daze, hand linked firmly with Jongin’s hand. When Kyungsoo looked up, there was only a sea of flowers swaying in the wind, a stone path and Jongin.

“You look a bit pale, love, do you want to sit down?” Jongin asked, concerned. Kyungsoo shook his head, looking absently at a bed of crimson hardy clusters. Their petals curved skywards, stamens lining the flower. He wasn’t much of a botanist, but the flowers looked a little different from the ones he would see back in his own world. Maybe it was the colour, or the fact that they were larger than the ones he was used to.

Jongin caught Kyungsoo’s line of sight and leaned down to pick one. He handed it to Kyungsoo silently, who took it numbly. “It’s pretty,” Kyungsoo mumbled, touching the petals gently. The other flower that Jongin had given him was lost now, but this lily made up for it.

“It is, isn’t it?” Jongin agreed. “It’s called the resurrection lily here in Lycanfort,” Jongin said, keeping his voice light.

“I think I’ll take that seat now,” Kyungsoo replied, sitting on the stone bench a few feet away. Jongin sat down beside him without a word, watching Kyungsoo carefully.

“My mother used to tell me,” Jongin said hesitantly. Kyungsoo looked at him, waiting for him to continue.

“The leaves and the flowers of the resurrection lilies can never exist at the same time. When the leaves finally wither and die, it is only then will the flowers begin to blossom. They long for each other so much that they shoot out buds and bloom flowers but as time passes, even though they can never see each other, they still hold on to their longing for each other.”

Kyungsoo spun the flower around on its stem, listening to Jongin’s soft words. “That’s beautiful. But sad too.”

Jongin nodded once. “I’m scared, Jongin. Of everything. I don’t know what will happen to us, and what will happen to Baekhyun. I just wish… I don’t know…”

“Don’t say it, my love. Had our lives ended up any other way, I would never have found you, nor would I ever love someone like you,” Jongin said, lifting Kyungsoo’s chin up to meet his gaze.

“You know that’s not what I mean,” Kyungsoo started to say. “I firmly believe that we _will_ make it through this together, love. Your companion will not, _shall not_ , die. I won’t allow it, my love, not if it makes you unhappy,” Jongin said.

“How will you do that?” Kyungsoo mumbled back.

“I have my ways,” Jongin smiled back at him. His smile was gentle, beckoning. Kyungsoo leaned into Jongin, looking down at the flower in his hand.

“Can I keep this in a glass of water?” Kyungsoo asked.

“I think so. It would look lovelier in a bunch, don’t you think?” Jongin replied, getting up and picking six more resurrection lilies. Some of them were a lighter shade of red, and Kyungsoo rearranged them to accentuate their colors. He smiled when it was done, and Jongin smiled too, even if he didn’t see it.

“I’ll put them in our room if you don’t mind,” Kyungsoo said. Jongin sat down again, reaching a hand to Kyungsoo’s mouth.

“ _Jeg elsker deg,_ _min kjærlighet._ Truly,” Jongin whispered, meaning every word.

“I love you, too,” Kyungsoo replied, kissing him chastely on the cheek. Jongin gave a wistful smile, lacing their hands together again. Kyungsoo could feel his heartbeat, could hear every unspoken word Jongin seemed to say with his eyes. It made him feel loved, and he wanted Jongin to feel the same way, to be fair.

Then Jongin looked away, listening to something. He looked into the distance, and suddenly the trees started to tremble. A second later, Luhan came barging out of the trees on his horse, bloody with cuts on his face.

Sehun emerged from behind him, then Chanyeol on another horse. “They’re here,” Kyungsoo gasped. But where was Baekhyun? He couldn’t see Baekhyun anywhere. _Did he die?_ The thought came unbidden, and almost at once he tried to put it out of his mind. Jongin had promised that he wouldn’t die.  

Servants came out of nowhere to greet them, reaching their hands out to hold on to the horses and their bags. It was then that Kyungsoo noticed Baekhyun slumped over in Sehun’s lap, chest breathing heavily like how Jongin did when he was poisoned.

Sehun lifted him up easily in his arms while Luhan rushed over with a rag soaked with blood. Chanyeol was restrained from them, despite his incoherent yelling and calls of Baekhyun’s name.

“Don’t touch him, my love. Remember that,” Jongin warned Kyungsoo, holding his hand and waiting for Sehun to carry Baekhyun in. Baekhyun coughed violently, throat gurgling with liquid. Some of his blood spattered down on the grass, and Kyungsoo saw the grass turn black almost immediately, wilting from contact.

“He’s been… He’s infected, isn’t he?” Kyungsoo asked, putting a hand over his mouth.

“Sehun may be able to clear the blood out of his body if there’s still time. Where is Jongdae anyway?” Jongin said tetchily, looking around for any sign of Jongdae. “Yixing went to get him. Maybe they haven’t reached the castle yet,” Kyungsoo said.

“They’ll have to hurry up,” Jongin muttered. Sehun passed by them, his own clothes covered in blood, though it didn’t seem to belong to him. Luhan was at a loss on whether to help Sehun or Chanyeol.  

“Chanyeol, he’s going to be fine, believe me,” Luhan insisted, his words sounding like a lie even to himself. There was only a slim chance that Baekhyun was going to be fine the way Chanyeol wanted him to be, Kyungsoo knew.

“Don’t let him leave me, please,” Chanyeol begged, tears running down his face. He wasn’t much better off than Luhan, arms covered in cuts and limping on one foot. Kyungsoo rushed over to Chanyeol, shoving the flowers at Jongin.

“Are you hurt somewhere?” Kyungsoo asked, trying to hold him up.

“It doesn’t matter, it doesn’t—it’s doesn’t hurt. No, just help Baekhyun, Kyungsoo, please, he can’t do this to me,” Chanyeol said in a daze. A servant observed him and said, “He’s going into shock, sire. We’ll have to sedate him or he might hurt himself,” she said solemnly.

Kyungsoo nodded numbly, stepping away from him. She stepped in front of Chanyeol, catching his attention for a brief moment. The next second, he swayed to the ground, and Luhan caught him nicely. “I’ll take care of him,” Luhan nodded at Kyungsoo and Jongin.

They followed Luhan into the castle, servants rushing around them and leading them to a room for Chanyeol to rest.

“What happened, Luhan? Tell us,” Kyungsoo said, trying to keep up with Luhan’s pace.

“We were thinking that maybe it was safer for all of us to be together, since Sehun found some vampires lurking around Baekhyun’s house when he came to visit—”

“How long have you been up there?” Kyungsoo asked, suddenly realizing that something wasn’t right. The timeline wasn’t right, and if they were here when only a few days had passed for Kyungsoo then Luhan should’ve been in his world for only a few hours.

“About a week,” Luhan replied. “Why? Yifan hasn’t attacked, right? Everything still looks fine,” Luhan said, turning a corner.

“Well yeah, that’s the thing but—never mind, what happened next?” Kyungsoo asked, shoving that thought into the back of his mind for later.

“Oh. Well, we were in Chanyeol’s car, driving down to the Portal when three vampires appeared. Sehun could handle one or two, on his own, but I knew right away that he would need my help so I Phased, but I don’t know what happened, Kyungsoo, I really don’t but,” Luhan exhaled heavily, entering a sparse bedroom.

He dropped Chanyeol on the bed, letting the servants that had been following them to fuss over him.

“What? What happened?” Kyungsoo repeated. Jongin placed a hand on Kyungsoo’s waist in attempt to calm him, and he tried to breathe when Luhan started to talk again.

“One minute, I was fighting those damn things off. One of them managed to bite down on Sehun, and the venom shocks other Europeans for a brief period of time. I saw it happen right before my eyes, and I had to help Sehun, Kyungsoo, you need to understand that I wasn’t trying to—”

“I know, Luhan, I know. Just tell us what happened,” Kyungsoo said reassuringly, watching tears pool in Luhan’s eyes.

“It was so reckless and careless of me, Kyungsoo. I was focused on helping Sehun that I didn’t notice where Chanyeol and Baekhyun were, and I bit down on the vampire in front of me. I threw him to the side, and that was all I remember doing before I heard Baekhyun scream…” Luhan started to sob, rubbing at his eyes.

“By then, Sehun was already alright but it was too late, the vampire had bitten Baekhyun on the arm. I’m so sorry, Kyungsoo, I really am, I should’ve protected him. It’s all my fault now that he’s sick—”

“It’s nobody’s fault but Yifan’s, Luhan. Don’t put this on yourself,” Kyungsoo said softly, patting Luhan’s cheek.

“It was sheer luck that we were already at the Portal, and all we had to do was jump in. Still, Kyungsoo, I am so, so sorry,” Luhan continued, and Kyungsoo hugged him, blood stains and all. He was calm for Luhan and Jongin’s sake, but inside, he was ready for a war.

When Luhan left to treat his own wounds, Kyungsoo cried just a little in Jongin’s arms. It was all just a bit much for him, the way Baekhyun was attacked. Jongin held Kyungsoo till he was done, and they walked off to Baekhyun’s room where Sehun had tried all sorts of spells the past fifteen minutes to heal Baekhyun’s wounds, but the vampire venom in Baekhyun’s blood prevented the spells from working properly.

Luckily, Jongdae arrived just in time to slam the door closed in their faces, face grim, and the next thing Kyungsoo heard was a high pitched shriek from Baekhyun.

He had to look away then and almost puked on the ground. Jongin cajoled him and pleaded with Kyungsoo, making empty promises that this would soon be all over. Kyungsoo shook his head like a child, feeling too warm all of a sudden.

“I want to go home,” Kyungsoo mumbled thickly, avoiding Jongin’s gaze.

“ _Min kjærlighet,_ you _are_ home… here, with me,” Jongin replied, hands cupping Kyungsoo’s face. Kyungsoo staggered, tripping over his own feet and falling into Jongin’s arms. It was all he could do to not faint then and there, but he wanted to see Baekhyun badly, wanted to hear Jongdae say that he’s going to be alright. He needed to know that Baekhyun was going to be okay before he could do anything else.

A low moan of pain from behind the closed door emitted loudly, making Kyungsoo look up. “I need him to be fine, Jongin,” Kyungsoo hiccupped.

“He will be,” Jongin nodded. “Would you like me to take a look for you?” Jongin asked, taking a look at Kyungsoo’s sickly green face.

“Please,” Kyungsoo said, and Jongin leaned him against the wall opposite of the door. Blue sparks were flying out from under the door, making Kyungsoo nervous even though he knew Jongdae was only helping him.

Jongin stepped away from him cautiously, hand on the doorknob. He jolted it, then took a deep breath, pushing it inwards slowly. Jongin edged himself in, blue light flooded in the tiny room. Sehun was holding down Baekhyun while he thrashed about, and Kyungsoo saw his hand trying to claw at Sehun’s neck. He knew it was Baekhyun’s hand because he saw the string bracelet Baekhyun and Kyungsoo had exchanged with each other a few years ago, a simple brown, braided cord around their wrists. Kyungsoo looked away, trying not to cry even more.

He slid down to the ground, knees drawn in towards himself. Kyungsoo made a promise to himself that Baekhyun would not die, and that he would never have to bury his own best friend within the week. What would he say to his parents and his brother? And Chanyeol… Would he ever get over Baekhyun? They were disgustingly in love, but still in love all the same.

Kyungsoo said a prayer to himself, promising God that he would do everything and anything in his power to kill Yifan with his own bare hands, even if it meant death for him. Someone had to be blamed, and if it wasn’t him or Jongin, then Yifan was the only one left. Someone would have to pay for all the bloodshed, and it certainly wouldn’t be any of his friends here in Lycanfort.

“Love?” Jongin said uncertainly, exiting the room. It was quieter now; muffled thumps and footsteps was all Kyungsoo could hear.

“How is he?” Kyungsoo asked. Jongin bent down to Kyungsoo’s height, holding his hands. His gaze was wavering, Kyungsoo noticed as he tried to make eye contact with Jongin. He sighed heavily, seeming to weigh his words carefully.

“I promised that your companion would not leave this world, love,” Jongin said softly, avoiding Kyungsoo’s gaze.

“As much as they could do, my love, the venom had travelled far too deep into Baekhyun’s body. He’s… He’s not coherent anymore, my love. Hasn’t been since Sehun started working on him. He’s asleep now, love, and I have a very important question for you.” Kyungsoo nodded, tearing up again. This was probably the part where Jongin would ask if he wanted to take Baekhyun off of life support, because if putting him to sleep was all they could do to put Baekhyun out of his pain, then Baekhyun might as well have been dead the minute he arrived.

“He will not survive the night if he continues to sleep, _min kjærlighet._ There was too much venom for them to clear out, and too much blood loss. But there _is_ something that they can do, and they need your permission to do this because Chanyeol cannot answer for him right now,” Jongin said, tone serious.

“Don’t think that anyone is forcing you into this decision, my love, because this is someone else’s life we’re talking about now but… how would you feel if Baekhyun had to be Turned into a vampire to survive?”

This was far worse than Kyungsoo could have imagined. Could he make this decision for Baekhyun, for Chanyeol? How would this change their relationship?

“What happened to ‘too much venom’? I thought he was too far gone to save him,” Kyungsoo said weakly.

“There is too much venom for Jongdae or Sehun to suck out, yes, but it also means he is on the brink of death, love. It is required of the person to be newly deceased or close to death and he… he can be saved. There will be a chance that he will survive the Turning, Sehun promised me this.”

“How am I supposed to make this decision, Jongin? If I let him die then I’ll never be able to live with myself but,” Kyungsoo choked. “If he’s a vampire then what am I doing to his family? To Chanyeol? Jongin, I can’t do this to him—”

“Shh, calm down, love, no one is forcing you to do this,” Jongin said, pulling him up and hugging him. Kyungsoo clutched Jongin to himself, the only anchor he had left that wouldn’t ever leave him.

“I’m not saying it’s a hard decision,” Kyungsoo whispered in his ear, biting down on his pad of his thumb painfully. 

“Then what are you saying, love?” Jongin whispered back, swaying Kyungsoo back and forth.

“I—I want him to live, Jongin. I just don’t know what _he_ wants. Isn’t it a sin to play God anyway?” Kyungsoo said, feeling his tears spill over. Jongin was silent, rubbing Kyungsoo’s back thoughtfully.

“If you’ll allow me to say, love,” Jongin leaned his head near Kyungsoo’s ear. His breath blew down Kyungsoo’s nape as he said, “Pick the sin you can live with, my love. That is all I can truly say in times like this.”

Kyungsoo understood, and leaned away from Jongin. He locked gazes with Jongin for a long moment, never having loved him any more than he did now.

*

“Now you’re all positive about being an audience in the room?” Jongdae asked, looking over across the bed at Kyungsoo. Jongin, Kyungsoo, and Luhan were squashed up into one corner of the room, and they all nodded at the same time. There was a putrid smell in the room that made it hard to breathe normally, but Kyungsoo tried his best, holding a hand over his mouth.

Jongdae shrugged. “Alright then.”

Kyungsoo had insisted on watching Baekhyun being Turned simply because he had never seen it before and that he knew Baekhyun would probably say the same thing had their situations been reversed. Pure, morbid curiosity, he had reassured Jongin. Of course, then Jongin insisted he was going to have to watch too, since he didn’t want Kyungsoo to watch the whole thing.

Luhan came along at the last second before Sehun shut the door and blackmailed Sehun into letting him in.

“I swear, you’ll find out what sexual frustration means on a whole new level, you shitty mate,” Luhan had threatened at him through the door. Jongdae had sighed while Sehun looked like he was on the verge of crying.

“Let the guy in,” he motioned with his hand wearily, rolling his sleeves up. Sehun swung the door wide open, not daring to meet Luhan’s brutal stare. “All of you here at the concert, please stand behind me. Don’t blame me if any blood gets on you,” Jongdae said nonchalantly. “Sehun, prop him up, will you?”

Sehun did as Jongdae instructed, flipping the bloody covers back to tug Baekhyun up. He was pale, blood trickling from the side of his mouth. Most of his wounds were bandaged up neatly, but they were already soaked in blood, a sign that his wounds weren’t closing off as they should by now.

Kyungsoo was unnerved by the way his eyes were shut and how he barely seemed to move. Even through all the sleepovers they’d had, Kyungsoo had never truly seen Baekhyun in such a deep sleep. There had always been a shadow of his personality even as he slept, and to see none of that now was strange to Kyungsoo.

Kyungsoo held his breath when Jongdae sat on the bed beside Baekhyun, the air becoming tangible and heavy. Jongdae pulled at the bandages, leaving a small spot on Baekhyun’s skin completely clear. Sehun sat down on the opposite side of the bed, putting a hand to Baekhyun’s chest to make him sit up properly.

“This might get a little… weird,” Jongdae muttered over his shoulder.

He leaned into Baekhyun, his mouth close to Baekhyun’s neck. Kyungsoo couldn’t really see if Jongdae had fangs, but he knew Jongdae most definitely bit down on Baekhyun’s neck; there was a soft, wet and squelchy sound that made goosebumps prickle all over Kyungsoo’s body.

Blood, fresh, bright red blood ran down Baekhyun’s chest to the already soiled sheets, spreading an already large stain. Jongdae’s jaw worked at Baekhyun’s neck for about three seconds more, and then he pulled away, holding a hand out at Sehun.

Sehun rolled his eyes, pulling a handkerchief out of his pocket and putting it into Jongdae’s hand.

“Is that it?” Luhan asked, sounding disappointed. Jongdae shook his head, wiping the blood away on his chin. “It gets worse,” Jongdae said.

That was when Baekhyun’s eyes opened, his irises a bright red and Sehun’s body tensed, putting both hands on Baekhyun’s wrists just in time before Baekhyun screamed miserably, voice hoarse and cracking all the way. He struggled against Sehun’s vampire strength, banging his head on the headboard like he was possessed.

Jongdae dropped Sehun’s handkerchief into a bin, putting both hands on Baekhyun’s forehead. Baekhyun’s eyes were devoid of emotion as he screamed emptily, Jongdae muttering some words to himself. Sehun glanced up at Jongdae unsurely, and for a bizarre moment, Kyungsoo thought this looked a lot like an exorcism.

Blue magic started to appear at Jongdae’s fingertips. Baekhyun stopped screaming, his voice seemingly choked. He coughed loudly, and blood flew out of his mouth like a spit ball. Luhan shrieked and skipped out of the way before the blood hit the wall where he stood only a split second before.

Jongdae gave him an I-told-you-so look and shrugged, the blue magic from his hands intensifying. Baekhyun’s eyes fell closed, and his head slumped forward on his chest. Sehun heaved a sigh of relief, releasing his death grip on Baekhyun’s hands. He moved away from Baekhyun, sitting on a chair by the bed.

“Is it done?” Kyungsoo asked, not daring to breathe. Baekhyun’s skin started to gain pallor, losing his healthy shade of tan rapidly.

“Don’t worry about that, his body’s just absorbing all the blood,” Jongdae said, at Kyungsoo’s questioning look. He moved Baekhyun downwards, letting him lie down horizontally. “He’ll be fine, Kyungsoo. I put him to sleep is all. I’ll wake him up at dawn and you’ll be able to talk to him by tomorrow night,” Jongdae said, stretching his arms out and cracking a few bones loudly in the process.

“You mean he’s… going through the Turning now?” Kyungsoo asked. Jongdae nodded. “I hear it’s painful, so I thought it best to knock him out. At least it’ll just be a dream to him until he wakes up,” Jongdae said. “Now, I need a shower and a long nap. Wake Sehun up the next time you have another emergency. I really should start charging all of you for all this,” Jongdae said thoughtfully.   

Sehun wrinkled his nose at Jongdae. “I will get some servants in here to clean him up then,” Jongin said.

“Oh no, don’t do that yet… Wait till morning. His wounds can be unpredictable now. They might heal now or they might heal later, depending on how fast his body accepts the Turn. So no need to hassle yourself,” Jongdae said, placing a hand on Jongin’s shoulder. Jongdae glanced at Kyungsoo briefly, and Kyungsoo just shook his head. Jongdae understood at once, and led Jongin out of the room, talking in muted voices.

 _At least I don’t have to do the talk anymore_ , Kyungsoo sighed. After what Jongdae had done for all of them, surely Jongin would be able to listen to Jongdae’s proposition. Kyungsoo and Luhan went over to Baekhyun’s bedside, peering at him.

“He’s awfully pale,” Luhan observed, touching his hand. “And cold, too,” he added. Kyungsoo touched his arm and found Baekhyun’s skin to be at a maximum of ten degrees. “It’ll drop a little more and then flare up when his body’s finished Turning,” Sehun informed them. “Will you be staying here with him?” Kyungsoo looked up at Sehun.

He nodded. “Thank you,” Kyungsoo said softly. “I’ll stay with you then,” Luhan said happily, losing interest in Baekhyun and plopping onto Sehun’s lap.

“Do us both a favour and don’t have sex while he’s asleep. He has a tendency to hear and see everything sexual around him,” Kyungsoo said to Luhan dryly. “We won’t do it in here, obviously… not loudly,” Luhan said, caressing Sehun’s face in a not so gentle way. It was more of a rub down to Kyungsoo from the way he palmed Sehun’s jaw. Sehun’s face was boredom personified.

“I’m leaving now. If he doesn’t survive, clearly you both are at fault,” Kyungsoo announced. He looked down at Baekhyun one last time, touching the friendship bracelet on his hand. “I’ll see you in a while,” he whispered to him.

Luhan gave him a little wave goodbye as he walked out.

Kyungsoo left the room feeling greatly relieved. He wasn’t sure how he was going to have to tell Chanyeol about this, but he knew he made the right decision in letting Baekhyun live. Was it considered selfish to want the love of your life and your best friend to be alive at the same time? Didn’t sound like too much to Kyungsoo.

Outside, Jongin and Jongdae were conversing with one another casually, Jongin’s tone relaxed. “Hey guys,” Kyungsoo said, coming over to Jongin’s side.

“I’ll be calling the guys over tomorrow night for a meeting then, if it’s alright with you?” Jongdae said to Jongin. “Yes, you do that. We’ll talk more once you’ve had some sleep,” Jongin smiled. Jongdae walked off, presumably for a shower or to sleep… maybe with Suho.

“You need sleep too,” Kyungsoo looked up at Jongin. His eye bags were still just as prominent as it was this afternoon. Jongin didn’t reply, leaning down for a kiss. “Are you happy that your companion is alive?” he asked Kyungsoo.

“Yeah. Turns out you keep promises really well,” Kyungsoo replied, kissing him back.

“I believe you said something about delaying our nap this morning. I don’t know about you, my love, but I’m rather worn out,” Jongin smiled, nibbling on Kyungsoo’s bottom lip. “I’ve just been through a lot of emotions, so you could say that I’m kind of tired,” Kyungsoo told Jongin.

“I find it my duty to relieve you of any emotional stress, love. Will you allow me to perhaps, make you forget the last few hours ever happened?”

“I’m all yours,” Kyungsoo said, twisting his fingers into Jongin’s hair. Jongin kissed him some more, this time a full on, I’m-going-to-make-out-with-you kind of kiss and gave Kyungsoo no chance to breathe. Jongin’s hands travelled down to Kyungsoo’s waist, holding him close as they stumbled to their bedroom.

Kyungsoo was flung over Jongin’s shoulder when he finally couldn’t wait anymore, and all the blood rushed to his face, making him feel flushed and dizzy. His brain felt like it was about to explode from being tediously upside down (and Jongin’s ass was too close to his face for comfort), swinging about helplessly as Jongin walked.

Jongin wound his way through the castle quickly, holding onto Kyungsoo’s legs tightly. Kyungsoo squeaked involuntarily when Jongin opened the door and climbed the three steps to the bed, dropping Kyungsoo on the bed and climbing over him.

Kyungsoo was dizzy from being upside down and it worked to Jongin’s advantage. He crawled into Kyungsoo’s lap to kiss Kyungsoo again, tonguing his mouth and putting a hand down on his crotch. Kyungsoo arched his back with a hiss, pushing his hips up into Jongin’s touch.

“Touch me, Jongin, please,” Kyungsoo breathed, putting a hand on the back of his head. Jongin had already undone his pants, and pulled at Kyungsoo’s boxers (“those sexy little shorts you always wear”), exposing Kyungsoo’s hard cock to his sight.

“Hard now, aren’t you?” Jongin asked softly, wrapping a hand around his length and tugging him off. Kyungsoo’s toes curled, the pleasure slicing painfully through his system. He cried out hoarsely, wanting more from Jongin, more than just an excellent handjob from Jongin.

“Take me, Jongin, I’m begging you, please,” Kyungsoo pleaded, panting from Jongin’s touch and drugging kisses.

“Not today, my love. Today you’re in charge,” Jongin smiled, fingering the tip of his cock lightly, smearing the precome down his length. Kyungsoo bit down on his lower lip, loving the feel of Jongin’s hand on his cock. But he still didn’t know what Jongin meant by being in charge.

“What d’you mean, I’m in charge today, what—”

Jongin shushed him soothingly, backing away to take off his clothes. His top was on the floor within two seconds, shoes kicked off haphazardly. “Today, you get to be the captain, my love,” Jongin replied him, unbuttoning his pants slowly on purpose in front of Kyungsoo. He watched Jongin breathe heavily, undoing his pants agonizingly slow.

“If you’re saying what I think you’re saying, Jongin,” Kyungsoo said, enjoying the show but still feeling a bit awkward about stripping his own clothes in front of Jongin.  

Jongin lifted an eyebrow in question at him, letting his pants slide down to his knees. When Jongin said ‘captain’, Kyungsoo remembered when he heard Rihanna’s Rude Boy on the radio for the first time, and he wasn’t altogether sure that Jongin was offering to bottom out today for Kyungsoo.

“Are you saying that you want to… to be the one on the bottom today?” Kyungsoo feeling embarrassed, his cheeks going red with shame. Still, it sounded better to be sure about where he’d be on the bed rather than to bumble about wondering if he was on top or on the bottom.

“If you want to think of it that way, yes. But most important of all, my love, I want to watch you ride me in all your naked glory. In daytime,” added Jongin, a wicked smile on his face. Kyungsoo’s jaw dropped open in horror while he kicked away his own pants, oblivious to Kyungsoo’s astonishment.

“But—why? I don’t think I would know what to do,” Kyungsoo said, panicked. He considered putting his clothes back on but Jongin threw off his warm sweater, exposing his skin and still fading bruises to the cold air in the room. “You’ll know,” Jongin promised, shucking Kyungsoo’s pants off. “Oh God, you’re really going to make me do this—”

“I don’t want you to have any regrets. _At all_. Even in the bedroom department. All right?” Jongin said firmly, taking Kyungsoo by the shoulders.

“Erm, having the opportunity to do it with you is more than enough, let me assure you, Jongin—”

“But I want to give you _everything,_ my love. I know you think about us at night, and wonder if one of us won’t survive the month…” Jongin ran a hand down Kyungsoo’s cheek, smiling sadly at him. “Do this for me, at least. For me.”

Kyungsoo couldn’t refuse, even if he wanted to. He let Jongin kiss him, gentle hands running down his legs and thighs, bringing Kyungsoo to life with his touch. It felt like there was fire on Jongin’s hands, burning Kyungsoo everywhere he touched. Kyungsoo was hard for Jongin and he wanted to know that Jongin felt the same way as well, reaching for Jongin’s cock and giving it a gentle squeeze tentatively. Jongin sighed into Kyungsoo’s mouth, putting his hand over Kyungsoo’s hand and rubbing their hands up and down his cock. “Do it like this, my love,” Jongin whispered, letting Kyungsoo hold his entire length. His cock was hard in his hand, dark and heavy with pent up sexual frustration.

Kyungsoo wanted to return Jongin’s favour of pleasuring Kyungsoo, wanted to taste his cock to see if it could turn Jongin on the way Jongin turned him on. “Can I…?” Kyungsoo asked softly, looking to Jongin’s face for reassurance. Jongin gave him a terse nod, moving to sit with his back against the headboard of the bed. Kyungsoo moved his head down slowly, keeping a hand on the base of Jongin’s cock.

Sticking his tongue out a bit, he licked Jongin’s tip gently, mouthing at his cock slowly. He wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do, but he figured it would come naturally enough. Jongin groaned in his throat hoarsely, watching Kyungsoo’s mouth working at his cock.

Gaining confidence from Jongin’s reaction, Kyungsoo sucked on Jongin’s cock, listening to him moan and feeling Jongin’s hand tense up on the back of his head. Kyungsoo dropped his jaw open, taking Jongin’s length into his mouth inch by inch. Jongin swore in his own language, the words sounding filthy but sexy to Kyungsoo’s ears. He hollowed out his cheeks, glancing up at Jongin’s wrecked expression.

Kyungsoo keened around Jongin’s length, putting his hand on the back of his head and pushing down on Jongin’s hand.

“Y-you want me to do it?” Jongin asked breathlessly, hair messed up and chest straining for more air. Kyungsoo nodded, pressing his head down on Jongin’s cock. He couldn’t make it all the way to the base of Jongin’s cock, but he sure as hell still wanted Jongin to fuck his mouth.

With a loud cry Jongin obliged Kyungsoo, biting out unfamiliar words as he bucked into Kyungsoo’s mouth and pushed his head down. Kyungsoo couldn’t breathe, his face going red quickly, but he loved the way Jongin’s cock slid smoothly down his throat, tasting his precome on his tongue. Kyungsoo tried to swipe his tongue around Jongin’s length as he fucked into Kyungsoo’s mouth relentlessly, moaning with his eyes closed. Kyungsoo had his hands on Jongin’s hips, fingers digging in as he strained to breathe through his nose.

“Your mouth is divine, my love,” Jongin said, letting Kyungsoo pull off when he finally couldn’t take it anymore. Jongin was close to coming all over the bed any minute, but he held it back, caressing Kyungsoo’s lower lip reverently. “Did you… Did you like it?” Kyungsoo asked, hiccupping once. His lips were red from Jongin’s kisses and from Jongin’s more-than-gentle treatment, wet with spit and precome.

“You never looked so beautiful as you do now, my love,” Jongin replied softly, smiling at Kyungsoo lovingly. “I want you to touch me Jongin, please. I want your hands all over me,” Kyungsoo whined, taking Jongin’s hands and placing them on his upper thighs.

“You need only ask, my love,” Jongin smiled, squeezing his thighs and pushing Kyungsoo over on his back. He pinched Kyungsoo’s nipples teasingly, rubbing the tips and making Kyungsoo arch and moan beneath him. “D-Don’t do that please, Jongin, _ohh_ …” Kyungsoo moaned, toes curling.

“Won’t you take me instead, Kyungsoo? _Min kjærlighet,_ wouldn’t you love to ride me?” Jongin asked tantalizingly in his ear, hands doing all the persuasion that words couldn’t. He rutted his hips down onto Kyungsoo, rubbing their cocks together. Kyungsoo cried out incoherently, fingers pressed into Jongin’s back.

“Just tell me what to do then, Jongin!” Kyungsoo almost shouted, feeling too frustrated for anything else.

Jongin looked like he wanted to laugh, moving off of Kyungsoo’s body to get up. It left Kyungsoo feeling bereft, his usual space heater gone. Kyungsoo sat up, looking around to see Jongin digging through his drawers for something.

“What did you even use on me the last time?” Kyungsoo asked, remembering that the scented oil they had used was already empty. He wondered if Jongin had thought to stock up on lube.

“That was oil but my servants haven’t brought me a new bottle. There is a salve here though; someone gave it to me to treat vampire bites…” Jongin trailed off, going through what sounded like a collection of salves and bottled scented oils.

“I suppose we could use this?” Jongin held up a flat rounded metal container. He opened up the cover to sniff at it. “It smells like floral honey. Shall we move on with this?” Jongin threw it at Kyungsoo. He caught it and gave it a sniff as well, not trusting the salve at all.

“Why are we using something to treat vampire bites as lube? It’s the most ridiculous notion I’ve ever heard,” Kyungsoo said. The salve looked like a lot like Vaseline, a bit cloudy and slippery, but whatever its effects were, Kyungsoo didn’t know. “It’s the only thing I can think of that doesn’t have a numbing or burning sensation,” Jongin replied calmly.

“Oh. In that case, I’m trusting you on this. If we never get a hard on again, don’t blame me,” Kyungsoo warned him, using his fingers to scoop out some of the salve into his hand. Jongin joined him on the bed, smirking beside him.

“So how do you want me to do this?” Kyungsoo asked. He applied some of the salve on himself first, smearing it on his cock generously. “Come and sit here, love,” Jongin crooked a finger at Kyungsoo. He slid down on the sheets a bit, his cock curving upwards and leaking beads of precome. Kyungsoo did as he was told, sitting between Jongin’s long legs, holding up the hand that was still smeared with the salve.

“Um…” Kyungsoo looked down at Jongin expectantly, waiting to be told what to do. Jongin slid down the cotton sheets even more, pushing his hips up by pressing his feet into the mattress. He placed his head on the headboard, spreading his ass cheeks for Kyungsoo.

Kyungsoo swallowed thickly, Jongin’s entrance wide open for him to see. He reached down with the salve smeared hand, his fingers trembling as he fitted a finger into Jongin, imagining that this was probably what Jongin did the last time he prepped Kyungsoo on the very same bed. Jongin shuddered under Kyungsoo’s touch, sighing in breathless pleasure. His entrance resisted for a moment, but then Jongin relaxed, letting Kyungsoo’s finger enter him.

Kyungsoo stuck his finger deeper into Jongin, his hand probing inside of Jongin smoothly. Jongin gripped the sheets in his hands, biting down on his lower lip. “Yes, that’s right, _min kjærlighet,_ just move in and out…” Jongin said softly, instructing Kyungsoo. He slid a second finger in tentatively, stretching Jongin’s entrance a little bit more. Kyungsoo watched Jongin’s cock twitch under his ministrations, filthy moans falling from Jongin’s open mouth.

He had to admit that prepping Jongin was pretty hot, something he never thought he would have to do but enjoyable all the same time. Jongin had a lithe and graceful body, responding deliciously to Kyungsoo’s fingers, his toes curling or his hands crushing the sheets.

Kyungsoo split his fingers open slowly, further stretching Jongin’s entrance. “Put another finger in,” Jongin ordered, eyes closed shut. His ass clenched down on Kyungsoo’s fingers every so often as he inhaled and exhaled, a tight and wonderful sensation on Kyungsoo’s hand. He finally fitted a third finger in, moving his fingers in and out in tandem. Jongin hissed at the pain, hitting his head on the headboard.

“ _Min kjærlighet…”_ Jongin breathed heavily, tone pleading.

Kyungsoo took it as a sign that he was ready, and he got up to his knees, picking Jongin’s legs up to place them on his shoulders. Jongin lifted his hips higher, body shivering in anticipation. Kyungsoo wasn’t sure what to expect either, since he had never done _this_ to anyone. He let the tip of his cock touch Jongin’s entrance, his entrance warm and slippery.

Jongin nodded tersely, adjusting himself and holding onto the messed up sheets with his hands. Kyungsoo then moved slowly, thighs burning like they were cramped. He pushed into Jongin, his entrance tighter and hotter than expected. Jongin tried to relax, breathing through his nose with tremendous effort. Kyungsoo fucked Jongin slowly with one stroke, cock sliding in all the way to the base.

They both could hardly breathe, new sensations popping fireworks behind their eyes. “You can move now,” Jongin said, hands finally releasing their hold on the sheets. Kyungsoo had no such luck with his own nerves, fingernails biting into Jongin’s thighs.

“Are you sure?” Kyungsoo asked. Jongin nodded at him, lifting his hips towards Kyungsoo again, and Kyungsoo adhered, slowly sliding out of Jongin. He gave a loud moan, hand reaching for his cock, but Kyungsoo beat him to it, hand wrapping around Jongin’s thick cock.

Kyungsoo thrusted back into Jongin, albeit not gently, pumping Jongin’s cock once at the same time. Jongin winced in pain, but Kyungsoo was delirious with pleasure, Jongin’s tight entrance feeling heavenly on his cock.

“Are you okay?” Kyungsoo panted, looking down at Jongin. “Yes, love, just… the feeling is unexpected. Don’t worry about me,” Jongin waved him away, opening his legs wider for Kyungsoo.

“I remember when you first fucked me,” Kyungsoo said deliberately, his other hand tracing an imaginary line down Jongin’s torso. He withdrew from Jongin, sliding all the way out till there was only his tip left teasing Jongin’s entrance. Jongin bit his lip at the memory, eyes locked upon each other.

“And even though you weren’t the same Jongin that you are now,” Kyungsoo pushed into him slowly, eliciting a somewhat suffocated cry from Jongin. “I knew that I loved you, Jongin,” Kyungsoo continued, tightening his hand around Jongin’s cock and rubbing his hand up and down.

“I just knew that I loved you from then on, that you were the one for me,” Kyungsoo went on, Jongin’s ass clenching down on his cock. Jongin had tears in his eyes as Kyungsoo tried to circle his hips a bit, feeling every inch of Jongin. “I love you forever, Jongin. Not maybe,” Kyungsoo said softly, voice low as he moved his hips the way Jongin liked, closing his eyes in pleasure.

“You slay me, love,” Jongin moaned, writhing. That almost made Kyungsoo laugh, even though he knew Jongin truly meant it.

He thrusted into Jongin again, riding Jongin’s ass like how he wanted. Jongin looked like he was pained, or maybe he was overcome with emotion somehow, like Kyungsoo. He felt connected to Jongin in every way, in the most intimate way even. Jongin sighed breathy moans as he watched Kyungsoo move, and soon he came, back arcing off of the bed.

Kyungsoo however, did not, and pulled out of Jongin slowly, letting his legs slide down to the bed.

“You didn’t come yet,” Jongin murmured, looking at Kyungsoo through wet eyelashes. “I’ll live,” Kyungsoo laughed. The truth was his cock felt sore, and he wanted so badly to come, but he wanted Jongin inside of him more than anything.

“You can’t just touch yourself after doing all that to me,” Jongin said lightly, tone scolding. He sat up, tugging Kyungsoo down on the bed. “Um no, it’s really fine, I don’t want you to get hard again and just—” he bit down on the rest of his sentence when Jongin pressed his thumb into Kyungsoo.

“Oh God,” Kyungsoo moaned, holding himself up on his hands. “It’s the gentlemanly thing to do to pleasure his lover,” Jongin smiled at Kyungsoo’s reaction. “And I love how you confessed to me so ardently, my love.”

Kyungsoo blushed despite himself, pushing himself back onto Jongin’s hand. “Patience, love, I’ll be in you soon enough,” Jongin placed a stilling hand on Kyungsoo’s back.

“Can you just do it already? I’m so horny I could die,” Kyungsoo said, feeling embarrassed even as he said it. “If you insist…” Jongin straddled Kyungsoo easily, massaging Kyungsoo’s pliable ass. “I must say, love, you have quite a bottom on you,” Jongin observed. “You said that the last time,” Kyungsoo whined, blushing further.

“Did I, love? Well, you must understand that I hold very high favours for your bottom,” Jongin pinched his ass lightly, making him squeal. “In fact, I think it looks better during the day,” Jongin said, before positioning his halfway hard cock at Kyungsoo’s entrance.

“W-Wait, you didn’t… oh yes, Jongin, yes, yes!” Kyungsoo groaned, dropping his face down. Jongin sank down his cock into Kyungsoo’s entrance even though he didn’t prep Kyungsoo. But the pain was worth it, Kyungsoo revelled in the pain and wanted Jongin to fuck him hard and fast.

“Do me harder, please, Jongin,” Kyungsoo begged, pressing his shoulders down into the mattress and holding his ass wide open for Jongin. He grunted and adhered to Kyungsoo’s request, thrusting roughly in and out of Kyungsoo sloppily. The burn was almost too much for Kyungsoo to take, but it hurt in such a lovely way. It made Kyungsoo feel wanton and well fucked, and he came seconds later, a little ah escaping his lips.

“Oh my God, that hurt quite a bit,” Kyungsoo groaned. Jongin pulled out of Kyungsoo and petted his ass lovingly. “If you want, I can make it feel better when you’re up to it,” he smirked.

“’Feel’ being the main point, isn’t it?” Kyungsoo asked, turning over and tangling his legs around Jongin’s waist. “Oh yes, my love. Most definitely,” Jongin said huskily, bending down to kiss Kyungsoo gently.

*

Kyungsoo paid a visit to Baekhyun after dinner when Sehun sent a message through a servant that his temperature had gone up quite suddenly, before dipping low into the arctic temperatures. Kyungsoo had sent the servant scurrying to Chanyeol’s room with the same message, and promised that he’d be there soon.

 Kyungsoo held Jongin’s hand nervously as they walked to the hallway, not quite knowing what to expect from this. Would Baekhyun be angry at Kyungsoo for taking the decision out of his hands? Or would Chanyeol hold a grudge against him for not waking him up maybe, and asking him about it.

Chanyeol appeared from the other end of the hallway as Kyungsoo thought of him, and jolted Kyungsoo with surprise. He looked fine, with gauze stuck to his face and a bandage wrapped around his right arm. Chanyeol met Kyungsoo’s gaze and nodded, just a small motion of his chin moving down, and Kyungsoo knew that Chanyeol had no vendetta against him.

There was no burning fire of revenge in his eyes, no tension in his body. Kyungsoo felt relieved that Chanyeol loved Baekhyun enough to accept that he was a vampire now, and their relationship would most definitely be altered significantly, but he was still here, standing before Baekhyun’s door.

Jongin knocked on the door with his knuckles, and waited. Sehun called at them a beat later, “Come in.”

Kyungsoo reached for the doorknob, but there was no doorknob to hold when Luhan flung the door open, scowling over his shoulder. “Don’t just tell people to come in, welcome them,” he scolded. Sehun looked like he was an inch away from vampire suicide, sitting in the chair with his hands on his knees like a elementary schoolboy.

“Baekhyun?” Chanyeol elbowed past Kyungsoo and rushed to Baekhyun’s bedside. He looked like he was sleeping a deep sleep, eyes peacefully shut.

Kyungsoo went over to his side while Jongin stood by Sehun silently, watching Baekhyun closely.

“Is he awake?” Kyungsoo asked Sehun. He nodded. “He’s weak though, that’s why he seems to be asleep. He woke up a few minutes ago and said, ‘Hungry’, before falling back into sleep. Luhan and I can’t give him any blood, so it was to be either one of you for now,” Sehun said.

Chanyeol immediately rolled up his sleeve, looking around for something sharp. “Chanyeol, don’t be ridiculous, you’ll slice your hand off if you use the scissors,” Kyungsoo sighed when Chanyeol picked up a large metal scissors that looked like it should be in a horror movie about a hospital, not in Baekhyun’s bedroom.

Chanyeol was about to argue, but Sehun waved a hand, sitting up. “No, no, he’s right, that’s dangerous… Let me just nick your wrist with my nail and you can drip your blood into Baekhyun’s mouth,” he said, wriggling his hand at Kyungsoo.

“Did you use that hand to prep Luhan?” Kyungsoo asked. Luhan huffed at him. “I don’t even need prep,” he turned his nose up at Kyungsoo, who looked at him horrifyingly.

Sehun held Chanyeol’s hand while Chanyeol looked away, biting his lip. Sehun angled his thumb above Chanyeol’s vein, whispering a quick count to three and slashed a line across Chanyeol’s vein, blood gushing out almost at once.

“Put your hand near his mouth! Quickly, before you—Ah, you dripped on the sheets,” Luhan complained. Jongin looked embarrassed to be related to Luhan. Chanyeol let his blood dot Baekhyun’s mouth, a droplet plopping onto his lower lip.

At first, nothing happened. Kyungsoo thought that maybe he was in some kind of deep coma and would never wake up, but then his tongue flicked out to lick at the blood. Chanyeol gasped, and he pressed on his wound, inducing more blood to rain down on Baekhyun’s mouth held open by Luhan.

His eyes flickered momentarily, eyeballs rolling around in their sockets while everyone waited anxiously.

Baekhyun shifted his position for a moment, turning over to Chanyeol’s side before opening his eyes slowly, tongue flicking out to lick at the blood on his lips.

“Chanyeol?” he rasped. Kyungsoo sighed a breath of relief.

 

 


	11. I'd rather die without him

Baekhyun sipped at a small cup on the bed like a child tentatively, holding the little ceramic cup with both hands.

“Well? How do you feel?” Luhan prompted him. Baekhyun blinked once, putting the cup down in his cup. He swallowed, mulling over his answer. “It’s kind of weird. Like drinking Coca Cola spiked with coffee or something… It has that sugar rush kind of feeling, the more I drink,” Baekhyun replied. His eyes were red and his skin was alabaster pale now, almost sickly were it not for the fact that he was a vampire now.

“But you don’t feel the senseless urge to kill someone?” Luhan asked. Kyungsoo stopped short of smacking the back of his head. He wasn’t sure what Jongin felt about domestic abuse towards his in laws, but he would have to teach Luhan a lesson on manners some time soon.

“No,” Baekhyun shook his head, looking down at the last mouthful of blood in his hand. Jongin had sent for some pig’s blood once Chanyeol’s wound started hurting and his vision started to darken around the edges. Sehun offered to bandage Chanyeol’s cut, and by the time he was done Baekhyun was fully awake, rubbing his eyes like he had been sleeping for a long time.

“Why are you dripping blood on my face?” Baekhyun had asked Chanyeol wearily. Luhan bluntly told him that he was no longer human, and to take a guess by taking his pulse.

There was no pulse.

Kyungsoo rather expected Baekhyun to be shell shocked or astonished, something along the lines of oh-my-god, my-life-has-completely-changed but when Sehun explained further, Baekhyun just said, “Explains why I vaguely remember screaming at the top of my lungs at all of you. I thought it was a dream, but I guess not.”

A scarily full jug of blood came in soon after, and Sehun was seated beside the bed once he finished undressing Baekhyun’s bandages (his skin showed no signs of injury), downing cups of blood like shots. Apparently using a lot of magic took a lot of energy out of him, and he wanted to fill himself up before dawn. Jongin watched them with a mild, morbid fascination.

“I don’t actually _feel_ really different,” Baekhyun said eloquently, drinking up the rest of the blood in his cup. “But I feel... kind of healthy, in a way. Like pumped up, or energized. I don’t think I’ve felt like this since I was six.”

Then he looked at Chanyeol. “We could have fun the whole night, I tell you.” Luhan had squealed and clapped his hands while Kyungsoo and Jongin grimaced at the same time. “Save the dirty talk when we’re not here, please,” Kyungsoo put a hand out at Baekhyun. Luhan squinted at him, curling his lip in annoyance.

“And I’m also sort of expecting something different from you. Like there’s something we’re all missing, and it’ll probably come out when we least expect it,” Kyungsoo added. Baekhyun looked up at Sehun. “Will I still poop and pee?”

Chanyeol snapped his fingers. “That’s it. That just defines our humanity, dude,” he said to no one in particular. “I know, babe, I know,” Baekhyun petted his hand reassuringly. “You were saying?”

Sehun shook his head slowly, perhaps a tiny bit unsurely. “I don’t think you’ll find the urge to do all that anymore but…” he paused. “I’ve never actually Turned someone before. I shall consult Jongdae at a later time,” he said.

“Will you still love me even after I can’t poop and pee?” Baekhyun asked, pouting at Chanyeol. Kyungsoo sensed an oncoming make out session from the way Chanyeol’s eyes glinted in the light and stood up. “HAHAHAhaha, I think Baekhyun should rest now, guys. What say you?” he smacked a hand on Luhan’s shoulder blade. Luhan jumped, startled, but took the cue anyway even if he didn’t quite understand. “Er, yes, I think so. Sehun, I have a present waiting for you in my room. Would you like to get it?” Luhan said suggestively over his shoulder.

The only reaction Kyungsoo could gather from Sehun was a twitch in his jaw, but it seemed to satisfy Luhan. He got up, holding out a hand arrogantly at Sehun. He held it gently, taking their leave.

As they left, Kyungsoo touched Baekhyun’s hand. “Jongin, could you leave us for a moment? I promise we won’t take long,” he said, trying to inject the right amount of pleading in his voice. Jongin looked uncomfortable at the thought of leaving him alone with Baekhyun, but Kyungsoo slit him a side eyed glare. “Not too long, love. I’ll be outside,” he said gruffly. Baekhyun shooed Chanyeol out as well, promising him an all night chat later on. Kyungsoo dreaded to think what kind of kinky plans Baekhyun might have already thought of in his head.

“Hey um, look, Baek. If you’re mad at me about… you know, changing who you are. I get it if you don’t feel like—”

“Kyungsoo, don’t be fucking ridiculous,” Baekhyun pursed his lips. “Was that really what you wanted to say to me?”

Kyungsoo blinked. “Well yeah, I mean, I just changed your life,” he said, trying to get Baekhyun to see the big picture. He had a feeling that Baekhyun hadn’t quite grasped the meaning of eternal life yet.

“You gave me superhuman strength, you gave me an endless source of energy now that I’m officially a night bird,” Baekhyun counted off with his fingers. “And a life that will last forever, Kyungsoo. I really don’t see what’s so bad about drinking a cup of blood every now and then—”

“Baek, _you_ have the gift of eternal life,” Kyungsoo said slowly. “Chanyeol doesn’t.” Baekhyun stopped, hands in midair. “What are you gonna say to your family, Baek? We know that vampires and werewolves here aren’t the same ones in our world, but _they_ don’t know the difference.”

“They’ll have to assume I’m missing then,” Baekhyun mumbled, scratching a spot in the blanket. “And leave them in a lurch? C’mon, you know your mom loves you—”

“Then are you suggesting that I just stroll up my own front door and tell my mom I’m a vampire now?” Baekhyun said sarcastically. Kyungsoo knew he only did that when he was getting angry and tried to be calm. “Well no, but I guess we could figure this one out slowly,” he said softly. Jongin leaned in to see what was going on but Kyungsoo waved him away.

“But that’s… that’s not the worst part of it, Soo,” Baekhyun said, bottom lip trembling. “How am I supposed to live the rest of my life without Chanyeol? I wouldn’t know shit if I don’t have him.”

Kyungsoo couldn’t reply Baekhyun at that. Chanyeol was going to remain a human for a few more decades, while Baekhyun was now stuck in time, ageing at a much slower rate than Purebloods. It made Kyungsoo think about himself and Jongin as well. How many years did they have together before Jongin outlived him? It was something that he preferred not to think about for now, but to see it happen firsthand to his best friend was too raw, too much for him to take in at once.

“I don’t know, Baek. Honestly,” Kyungsoo shook his head. Baekhyun looked up at him, comprehension in his eyes. “Isn’t this going to be a problem with you and Kai too?” Kyungsoo shrugged.

“I think I see why you didn’t want to be with him in the beginning now. Isn’t it better to not have loved, than to love and have it taken away?”

“It’s not about me,” Kyungsoo said lamely, trying to shift the subject back to Baekhyun. “Well. At least I’ll be able to help in the war now,” Baekhyun said. “Sehun and Jongdae could probably teach me how to cast spells or whatever. Maybe I’ll even make a Portal for my mom one day,” he laughed weakly.

“I’m sorry, Baekhyun. About everything. I don’t think I’ve ever apologized for dragging you into this in the first place,” Kyungsoo said, holding back his tears.

“Hey, don’t be too sorry. I was the one who introduced you to Kai. I mean, you love the guy, don’t you?” Baekhyun said, tears already rolling down his face. Kyungsoo smiled despite the fact that they were kind of fucked up now, and sniffed, rubbing his painful eyes.

“Yeah, I do,” Kyungsoo replied, feeling like a sap. “Sounds like a keeper,” Baekhyun laughed, gesturing for a hug. Kyungsoo responded with his arms wide open, hugging Baekhyun tightly. “You’re still my best friend, Baek,” he said, tears soaking Baekhyun’s clothes. 

“ _Min kjærlighet?”_ Jongin stepped into the room hesitantly, Chanyeol peering over his shoulder with wide eyes.

 _He must’ve sensed the waterworks,_ Kyungsoo thought, pulling away from Baekhyun. “Way to ruin a moment, Jongin,” Kyungsoo said, wiping his tears away hastily. Baekhyun got to his feet and hobbled over to Chanyeol, falling into his arms and giving him a kiss on the lips, tracks of diluted blood on his cheeks.

Kyungsoo smiled at the both of them, getting off of the bed and took Jongin’s hand, bringing him away. “I think they need some time for themselves,” he said, feeling bittersweet. Jongin tugged at him, forcing Kyungsoo to face him. “I heard what you both were talking about,” Jongin said gently, bringing both hands up to Kyungsoo’s face.

“Creep. You weren’t supposed to listen,” Kyungsoo said, blinking the last of his tears away. He tried to look away, pushing at Jongin’s chest but there was no use. He was like a rock at sea, immovable and steady.

“Only the last bit, love,” Jongin chuckled. “Listen, love,” he said, putting a hand under Kyungsoo’s chin. “I—I’m fond of you, love, intensely so. And I’m well aware that there will be a day where we won’t be able… to be together anymore,” he finished.

Kyungsoo shook his head. “No, no, Jongin, please, not—” he sighed. “Not now, Jongin. I can’t do this now, I’m just not ready for it.”

Jongin looked defeated, and his shoulders slumped. Kyungsoo didn’t like it, but this wasn’t something he was ready for emotionally anyway. “Can you promise we’ll have this conversation when you _are_ ready?”

Kyungsoo leaned forward on Jongin, putting his arms around Jongin’s waist. “Inevitably, we will. But… not today. Please?” Jongin hugged him back, putting his chin on his head. “I don’t mean to push you away. Sorry,” Kyungsoo mumbled.

“I won’t bring it up again unless you want me to. It’s fine, love,” Jongin reassured him, patting his back. Kyungsoo sighed, leaning heavily on Jongin. He didn’t seem to mind.

*

At night, after Jongin had a long meeting with Jongdae and a few of his friends, they went to bed but Kyungsoo could hardly sleep, fingers interlaced with Jongin’s while he started to question their relationship. There was no doubt that he loved Jongin, and that separation was no longer an option for either of them. He missed Jongin whenever he wasn’t around, an irrational longing for him that made him feel needy and clingy; Kyungsoo didn’t want to be clingy, and was desperate not to come off appearing that way to Jongin.

Jongin’s eyes were closed as Kyungsoo chewed his lip anxiously, but abruptly he shifted in his sleep—an unusual thing for him to do— and he cracked an eye open, looking at Kyungsoo wearily. “Sleep, my love. You’ll regret it come morning,” he murmured. Kyungsoo flexed his fingers around Jongin’s warm hand, moving closer to his face.

“Sorry. Did I… broadcast my thoughts or something?” he asked, admiring the lines in Jongin’s beautiful face. He wanted to trace every curve and plane on Jongin’s face but withheld the urge, settling for an up close, ogling session.

“Your breathing, love,” Jongin said, closing his eye and moving a hand up to Kyungsoo’s chest. “Your heart is fluttering with unease. I can still hear it in my sleep,” Jongin said, his speech slow as if the words were hard to say.

“Oh. I didn’t know you could hear it. By the way, you left your dagger on the bed,” Kyungsoo said, momentarily distracted when his toes touched something long and cold.

But really, Jongin had a very pretty face and Kyungsoo was just dying to smoosh it with his hands. “Stop talking and go to sleep,” Jongin muttered, sounding a bit grouchy. Kyungsoo smiled and drew the blanket close, bringing Jongin’s hand up to his mouth and kissing Jongin’s knuckles.

“All right then, old man. Good night,” he said, finally trying to settle in for the night. He could tell that dawn wasn’t far off, and he didn’t want to sleep in tomorrow morning. Jongin’s lips curled into a smile, and his hand tightened around Kyungsoo’s before he drifted off back into unconsciousness.

*

At some point in his sleep, Kyungsoo felt Jongin’s hand slip away from him, and he moaned in his throat, turning into Jongin’s direction and hoping there was a warm body there. However, he was surprised in his semi consciousness to find that Jongin had disappeared, leaving his scent on his pillow and sheets. Kyungsoo sat up, rubbing his eyes wearily.

“Jongin?”

He heard some shuffling around but his brain was too tired to even comprehend it. “Yes, love?” Jongin replied.

“You sound awake,” Kyungsoo said, feeling like the exact opposite of awake. “Apologies, love. There’s been an emergency, but I’ll come back later to join you if you’re still asleep,” Jongin replied, sounding apologetic. “Come back now,” Kyungsoo whined, flopping back on the bed. He laid down on Jongin’s bed, pressing his nose into the pillow to inhale Jongin’s scent.

“I cannot, my love. But I shall be back in a jiffy,” Jongin said, and Kyungsoo could hear the smile in his voice. Jongin kissed Kyungsoo gently on the forehead before he left, the door clicking shut.

 

When it was Kyungsoo’s turn to wake up, it was almost mid afternoon and like Jongin had predicted, he _did_ feel like shit. And Jongin didn’t even come back like he promised. Kyungsoo pouted to himself, looking at Jongin’s pillow. He picked it up and flung it to floor, imagining it was Jongin himself.

Then he got up to get ready for whatever the day would throw at him, taking his toothbrush and toothpaste.

Kyungsoo stared at the pillow on the floor as he brushed his teeth in a daze, feeling weirdly guilty for throwing it to the ground like that. He had left Jongin more times than he cared to count; certainly Jongin wasn’t this childish?

When he was done, he squinted at the pillow and picked it up. “I hate you,” he said to it, and flung it back to the bed.

Kyungsoo decided to pay a visit to Baekhyun’s room after a lovely late shower and quick brunch.

As he expected, Baekhyun was sound asleep with the curtains drawn in his room, mouth hanging open but no drool running down his mouth. He wasn’t breathing as he slept, which unnerved Kyungsoo a bit but when he jostled Baekhyun in his sleep, he turned over and Kyungsoo breathed a sigh of relief. He wasn’t sure what he was expecting to see, since it was daytime and Baekhyun obviously needed his sleep, but the sight of a peacefully sleeping Baekhyun made him feel calm.

He left a little note for Baekhyun to see him once he woke up on the dresser, patting his head for good measure. Kyungsoo then left the room and closed the door behind him, the next thing on his list being Jongin. He had asked around, and most servants told him that he was most likely in the office if he wasn’t with Kyungsoo.

That made Kyungsoo’s cheeks burn a flaming red. He hadn’t realized that Jongin spent that much time with him, or that anyone seemed to notice. In any case, he skipped off to the office to see Jongin, who was up for a beating because he lied to Kyungsoo for the first time. A white lie it may be, but a lie nonetheless.

As he entered the right hallway, he approached the office cautiously, trying to be as quiet as possible, though why, he didn’t know. He was always welcome in Jongin’s office, in fact welcome to any part of the castle, but he had always refused Jongin’s invitations to enter his office. It looked eerily similar to the oval office at the White House whenever he looked in from outside, walls white with contrasting dark furniture, and that was enough for Kyungsoo. The office looked boring anyway.

There wasn’t a sound from the office but the door was slightly ajar. _Maybe Jongin had already left_ , he thought. Well then, he could just peek in and see if Jongin was still in there.

Kyungsoo tiptoed to the door and was just about to look in when someone placed a hand around his waist, causing him to jump about five foot in the air, shrieking.

“ _Min kjærlighet,_ my apologies,” Jongin said, frowning. “I thought you heard me,” he said, taking his hand away. Kyungsoo tried to catch his breath, bending over with his hands on his knees. “Jesus Christ,” he muttered.

“Were you searching for me, love? I had just stepped out, but I forgot something so I came back,” Jongin said, putting a hand on his back.

“Well yeah, of course I was looking for you. You said you would come back to bed but you didn’t,” he replied, slumping against the wall behind him.

“Mm, I did, didn’t I? Did you miss me?” Jongin asked, biting his lip.

“I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t,” Kyungsoo blushed. Jongin smiled at him, placing a small kiss on his forehead.

It made Kyungsoo feel many things, all at once; loved, shy, mean for throwing Jongin’s pillow down to the floor. He wound his hands around Jongin’s waist, kissing him. Kyungsoo almost never initiated a kiss first, but he supposed this was forgivable. After all, he had just seen his best friend turned into a vampire the night before and almost had ‘the talk’ the night before. Kyungsoo didn’t really want to think about the future.

“Have you eaten?” Jongin asked softly, mouthing at Kyungsoo’s upper lip. Kyungsoo hummed his reply, feeling warm and fuzzy in Jongin’s arms. “You?”

“I suppose you could be lunch,” Jongin smiled. Kyungsoo laughed, looking down at his shoes. “Am I Little Red Riding Hood?” he asked, before he realized Jongin wouldn’t understand. “Um, never mind, it’s just a fairy tale,” he waved his comment away before Jongin could ruin the moment.

“Do you want to touch up on your sword play later?” Jongin asked, brushing away the hair on Kyungsoo’s forehead.

“No,” Kyungsoo said, wrinkling his nose. “I’m horrible at it and you know it,” he reached for Jongin’s right hand, and felt something with a hard edge. “Ooh, what’s that?” Kyungsoo asked, looking down at Jongin’s hand. He held a small wooden box, cube shaped with his family insignia carved into the top.

“A gift,” Jongin said, holding it up as if he’d never seen it before. “Oh. For me?” Kyungsoo asked, surprised. Christmas was still quite a few weeks away. Did Jongin even know what Christmas was?

“For Suho,” Jongin replied, almost too quickly, holding the box with both hands like he was afraid Kyungsoo would steal it.

Kyungsoo lifted an eyebrow. “Is it his birthday soon, or his anniversary…?”

“Birthday,” Jongin nodded, moving backwards and pushing his office door. “Well, come on in, love,” he said, entering the office. He held Kyungsoo’s hand gently and smiled at him slightly as they made their way into the room. Kyungsoo wanted to hug Jongin and maybe squeeze him to death for putting up with his crap and still treating him like the most precious thing in the world.

The office was very clean and professional, Kyungsoo observed. Against the left side of the curved wall was shelves reaching up to the ceiling, filled with heavy and old books. The office had a bit of a musty smell to it, but it was barely noticeable; a mere underlying scent that didn’t offend or please. He shut the door behind him, the heavy slab of wood sliding into the door frame without a hitch.

On the right was a set of eight chairs and a large oak table, ink wells and feathers arranged neatly at the centre of the table. Lastly, right in front of the entrance was a large desk, smaller than the one on the right, but still large and sturdy enough for Kyungsoo to lie down on. And maybe Jongin could join in too, Kyungsoo thought, blushing furiously.

“So what was the emergency this morning? It better be good; I mean, you left me alone in bed. _Alone_ ,” Kyungsoo repeated, running his hands over Jongin’s desk absently. Jongin chuckled under his breath, going behind the desk and sitting down on a beautifully carved seat. It looked like the kind of seat a pastor would sit on in a Catholic church, with flowers and vines carved down the sides.

“Oh, I’ve already sorted through it. It was just… vampires running amok a little further from Yifan’s army. Nothing of the usual sort,” Jongin said, waving his hand away.

“There’s something you’re not telling me,” Kyungsoo said, squinting at him and placing both hands on the desk.

“Hmm?”

“Come on, you’re hiding something! Out with it,” Kyungsoo said, feeling a strange urge to laugh. Jongin blinked. “I’m not hiding anything, love,” he replied. He too, looked like he was trying to hide a smile.

“Liar. I can’t believe this, you lied this morning and you left me alone in a big, cold and empty bed, and now you’re hiding something. Tell me what it is, or I swear, Luhan’s gonna be involved and you won’t like that—”

Jongin laughed. “I’m not hiding anything! Ask Suho about this morning if you don’t believe me,” he said, laughing at Kyungsoo’s indignant face. Kyungsoo tried his best not to laugh or smile, stifling a giggle by biting down on his lip.

“Really, love, it’s nothing. Didn’t I tell you that you worry too much?” Jongin said, motioning for him to come over. Kyungsoo went around the desk, holding his hand out because he thought Jongin wanted to get all mushy with him but was unexpectedly pulled onto Jongin’s lap instead. He made an embarrassing squeak, but redeemed his dignity by replying with all the fine airs of a King, “I worry the right amount for the both of us.” He tried to balance himself on Jongin’s thighs by throwing an arm around Jongin’s neck, pretending to sulk.

“It’s a lovely gesture, _min kjærlighet_ , but I assure you, it’s completely unnecessary,” Jongin said, stroking Kyungsoo’s cheek. Kyungsoo knew he was trying to distract him, but it was hard to concentrate when Jongin was looking at him so intently, breaking his train of thought with every bat of his pretty eyelashes.

“Something’s funny with you,” Kyungsoo mumbled, poking Jongin’s cheek lightly.

“You’re the one who’s funny,” Jongin countered teasingly, pinching Kyungsoo’s cheek back very lightly.

“Stop flirting with me,” Kyungsoo said, trying to get off his lap. Jongin held him down, letting Kyungsoo struggle to put his feet back down to the ground. “Fuck—Jesus Christ, could you let me down already?” Kyungsoo said, hitting Jongin’s arm.

“If I recall, the Purebloods’ Messiah was also a Pureblood,” Jongin said seriously. “Oh my God—for fuck’s sake, I’m not a baby!” Kyungsoo said, frustrated. He hated how Jongin was so strong and he didn’t even seem to be straining against Kyungsoo’s efforts to escape.

“Come, love, don’t be coy,” Jongin cooed. “It’s too early for bed time, but I suppose my desk could work,” he said, biting his lip while gauging Kyungsoo’s reaction. “I had that thought earlier too… but that’s not the point,” he said quickly, blushing. “The point is, can you please put me down?”

“Since you asked so very nicely,” Jongin relented, to Kyungsoo’s relief, releasing his hold on Kyungsoo’s legs. He managed to gain footing on the ground again, and stood up before Jongin could do anything else to him.

But he had forgotten that Jongin was a werewolf, and could be very fast with his hands if he wanted to. He had just taken his hands off of Jongin when he felt himself being tugged forward. Before he could even register what was happening, Jongin had pulled him close again, this time making him stumble into Jongin’s lap and kissing him full on the mouth, Jongin’s mouth firm against his own.

“I didn’t say I’d let you go,” Jongin murmured, tripping him over and making him lean forward on him with a gasp.

“I think I’d like to have my lunch now. Do you mind?” Jongin said innocently, hands reaching down to squeeze Kyungsoo’s butt. Kyungsoo whimpered, Jongin’s hands feeling heavy on him, his touch so very intimate.

“We can’t do it in here,” Kyungsoo said softly, his heart starting to race.

“Why not? There’s plenty of light to see by, and you know how much I love to see you nude,” Jongin smiled cheekily, making Kyungsoo blush with embarrassment. “F-Fine. Don’t blame me if some poor servant girl walks by and hears the both of us,” Kyungsoo said, unbuttoning Jongin’s shirt. Jongin kissed him hard, hands tangling into Kyungsoo’s hair.

“I knew you’d come around,” he said huskily.

-

An hour later, Kyungsoo and Jongin stumbled out of his office with messy hair and swollen lips. Kyungsoo suspected that he looked well fucked, but it was fine. Kyungsoo enjoyed himself immensely, even if Jongin did rip his clothes a bit during the process. Jongin, sated and feeling very at ease now, kept smiling at Kyungsoo sneakily, keeping their hands interlocked.

“I never knew you could do that,” he said, looking very pleased with Kyungsoo. “Um. Baekhyun mentions too much to me sometimes. I just put them into action is all,” Kyungsoo muttered, clearing his throat. He wasn’t too adventurous in bed, but let’s just say 69 was now Jongin’s favourite number.

“We should do it again soon,” Jongin said, swinging their hands together happily. “Don’t get your hopes too high up; my back hurts now,” Kyungsoo said, snorting.

They headed to the dining hall, for _real_ lunch. Kyungsoo wasn’t particularly hungry, but he could settle for watching Jongin eat. Everything Jongin did looked cool to him. Jongin was saying something about Lycanfort traditional baked goods when they turned a corner and Luhan ran into them, bumping his forehead on Jongin’s jaw.

“Ow!” he yelled, putting a hand to the spot of red forming on his forehead. Then he blinked up at them.

“Oh my God. Where. The hell. Have you both been?” Luhan said, looking like he was ready to kill Jongin.

“Pardon?” Jongin said pleasantly.

“Kai! Why are you so calm? Suho just came back from the village in southeast, and he’s been injured. Badly,” Luhan added. “What? We were just in Jongin’s office—” Kyungsoo said, then broke off.

“Doesn’t matter. He arrived less than five minutes ago, and I sent someone to get you both. And Kai,” Luhan said, putting a hand on his arm. “He told me something. It’s… It’s pretty gruesome. Maybe Kyungsoo shouldn’t hear this,” Luhan said, glancing at Kyungsoo.

“Nope. No, no, no, I’m coming with Jongin whether you like it or not,” Kyungsoo said defiantly, waving Luhan away. “Trust me on this, you won’t like it and neither will Kai,” Luhan insisted, trying to hold back Kyungsoo from pushing around him.

 “It’s fine, Luhan. I—I won’t hide anything about this war from him,” Jongin said, placing a placating hand on Luhan’s shoulder. Luhan and Kyungsoo looked at him like he was mad. “Are you sure?” Kyungsoo said.

“Aren’t trust and honesty the building blocks to a good relationship?” Jongin replied Kyungsoo. Luhan rolled his eyes at Jongin. “Everybody lies!” Luhan said, throwing his hands up in the air. “Fine then. Bring Kyungsoo along. But I’ll come too, ‘cause you won’t like it,” Luhan folded his arms. Kyungsoo shrugged. “Suit yourself.”

They made their way to the east wing of the castle, Kyungsoo holding onto Jongin’s hand anxiously as he tried to keep up with Jongin’s pace. He could tell that Jongin was nervous about Suho and of what he had to say, and he wanted to tell Jongin that whatever it was, they could take it, but he didn’t know _how_ to say it, especially with Luhan around. He was trying to think of something to say that could comfort Jongin somewhat, when he heard the faint sounds of something crunching and a choked scream.

Kyungsoo soon realized that Luhan was right, that he wouldn’t like what he was about to see. Whatever it was, it didn’t sound good. Luhan pushed the doors open for them, and let them in with a grim face, hands fisted by his side.

Kyungsoo could hardly recognize the man on the bed. Suho was badly injured, yes, but that was an understatement. Kyungsoo supposed the right word to describe Suho was broken; his arms were twisted the wrong way and legs apparently shattered in fourteen different places, as Luhan whispered in his ear. That wasn’t even the worst part. Suho had deep cuts and teeth marks all over his body, and the nurses there could hardly concentrate on patching him up without disrupting another wound. The smell of blood and pus hung heavily in the air, making Kyungsoo gag.

Suho was clenching his jaw and bit down on a cloth in his mouth when a male nurse had to splint his arm. Bones grinded as he righted Suho’s arm, and his scream wasn’t as loud as before, but to Kyungsoo it was about as loud as a gunshot. “Suho?” Jongin said softly, leaving Kyungsoo’s side.

Suho’s eyes opened, his pupils glowing a feral yellow. “M…Master…” he said weakly around the cloth, tears running down the side of his face. A nurse removed the cloth to allow him to speak. “Was it the Europeans?” Jongin asked. Suho gasped involuntarily when the same nurse had to lift his leg up to prop it up, and he grimaced painfully as she fitted a pillow under his leg.

He gasped, panting as he tried to stay focused. “No. No, it wasn’t the Europeans, Kai,” he said. He took a shuddering deep breath, collecting his words. “They were wolves, Kai. But they,” Suho shook his head, sweat dotting his eyelashes. “They had eyes like the Europeans. They were men I knew, men I had lost to Yifan’s army, but they no longer recognized me. Kai, they’re making slaves out of our own dead,” Suho said, clutching Jongin’s arm.

“But how?” Jongin said, frowning. “There’s never been a spell this strong.”

“I don’t know how Yifan has achieved this, Master, but you _have_ to consult Jongdae on this. About two hundred of our men are dead, but if they are all under Yifan’s command now…” Kyungsoo shuddered.

“He’s making his own daylight army now, isn’t he?” Jongin said softly. Suho nodded. Jongin scoffed in disbelief. “You’re right, Suho. I’ll need Jongdae and Sehun on this at once,” he said. A nurse whispered to Jongin that they were going to need some space to work on Suho and he nodded. “Is there anything else I should know?”

Suho shook his head, gripping on the cloth in his hands. Kyungsoo had to look away. Yifan was a terrible man, there was no way around it. Jongin said a few comforting words to Suho and got up to leave the room. “Make sure he lives,” Jongin said to one of the nurses, who nodded her reply.

“I told you, Kyungsoo,” Luhan whispered in Kyungsoo’s ear as they left. “You wouldn’t like it.”

*

Night fell, and Kyungsoo was in bed alone. Sure, he could’ve gone out to listen to Jongin debate spellwork with Jongdae and Sehun, or maybe he could’ve sat down with Baekhyun while he read Sehun’s copy of _Den Boken av Kaos,_ but he felt too numb to even comprehend all this. He wanted it to be done, wanted the war to be over with. If he was the sacrifice, then so be it. He would much rather welcome his death than let this war drag out for any longer than it has to.

Kyungsoo was drowning in his depressing thoughts when he suddenly heard a rustle somewhere in the room. Did his trousers fall over the chair? Kyungsoo squinted, and spotted it still hanging over the back of the chair, folded neatly in half. Then he heard it again, the sound of fabric moving against fabric.

The door was closed, as far as Kyungsoo could tell, and there was no one else in the room except him. “Hello?” he called, feeling a bit stupid.

“Greetings, Kyungsoo,” a voice replied, scaring the shit out of Kyungsoo and prickling goosebumps all over his skin. “Surely you remember me? After all, you still owe me a drop of blood,” the voice continued, and Kyungsoo immediately knew who it was.

He was frozen in bed, unsure of what to do or what to say. He wanted to scream for help, wanted to get out of the sheets and run towards the door, but what would Yifan do to him?

“How did you get in here?” Kyungsoo said, sitting up. The shadows in the left corner moved an inch. He stared at the black darkness, and slowly a man materialized out of the black, wearing black robes with a silver finish. “I have my ways,” Yifan said, smiling at Kyungsoo sweetly. His eyes were two red pupils in the darkness, unblinking and never breaking Kyungsoo’s gaze.

“Have you ever seen magic, Kyungsoo? It’s quite fascinating,” Yifan said conversationally, flicking a hand into his jacket and producing a red rose, the bright red of the flower a stark contrast to the blackness surrounding it.

“Watch this,” Yifan said, and Kyungsoo obeyed. What else could he do? His hand slipped under his pillow, and came into contact with something hard. _Oh God_ , he thought. _Jongin’s dagger_ , he remembered. Jongin must’ve forgotten that it had fallen out. How it was under his pillow though, when it should’ve been on Jongin’s side of the bed, he didn’t know, but he was thankful for it. He could stab Yifan with it if it ever came down to doing that.

Yifan twirled the rose at him, letting him look at the petals from the inside and waving a hand over it. “This is a normal rose, is it not?” he asked. Kyungsoo nodded.

“Well, red roses are mediocre. A thing of the past. You see, roses are beautiful, but they hold no meaning in life, no more than the fleeting interest of a lover,” Yifan continued. “But with magic, Kyungsoo, this rose will become something more. It will be more beautiful than before, and it will be better than its counterpart. With a wave of my hand…” Yifan blocked Kyungsoo’s view of the rose with his hand, holding the petals gently and closing his eyes for a moment.

His red eyes flickered open, and he removed his hand. “I think red roses are just fine the way they are,” Kyungsoo said to Yifan. He knew Yifan was talking about anything but roses.

“There is always one more step to perfection,” Yifan replied smoothly. Bowing reverently to Kyungsoo, Yifan held out the rose, apparently done with his magic trick. Kyungsoo took the rose, holding it under the light. At first, he thought it was a trick of light, that light was reflecting off of the inner petals.

Then he realized that rose petals weren’t reflective, and he looked at it properly once more. The inner petals, where they were blood red a moment ago, were now a flawless, bright white, the alternating red and white complementing each other beautifully.

“The last time we met, I believe we didn’t get on to a good start,” Yifan said as Kyungsoo admired the rose. “But I can forgive that, Kyungsoo, really I can. Your Kai was a distraction in fact, and I blame him for our… rocky start,” Yifan said, a sly smile on his beautiful face.

“What do you want from me?” Kyungsoo asked softly, looking up at Yifan. “You can’t be going through all this trouble for just good company.”

Yifan threw back his head and laughed humourlessly, his laughter edged with timber. “Oh, it’s not your good company that I want, my friend. It’s the idea of making Kai suffer in the best way possible, and you do that very well, don’t you?”

“I don’t follow,” Kyungsoo said, feeling shivers run down his spine. Did Yifan know something about Jongin that he didn’t?

“Love is sufferance, Kyungsoo. That’s what the years have taught me, and Jongin loves you… He loves you so much, and consequently, he suffers for you. He may not feel pain as he suffers, but he will.” The moonlight caught the glint in Yifan’s eyes. “He _will_ suffer once you’re dead at his feet.”

Kyungsoo’s hand gripped the dagger under his pillow and flung it at Yifan with all his might. Yifan blinked when he saw Kyungsoo move, and moved out of the way in time, the dagger singing past his right ear.

“That wasn’t very nice,” he lifted an eyebrow at Kyungsoo. “What you did to Jongin the last time we met wasn’t fucking nice either,” Kyungsoo spat. He felt a throbbing pain in his hand, but he ignored it, not daring to take his eyes off Yifan.

“That was just me warming up, Kyungsoo,” Yifan smiled. He moved, disappearing into a blur and reappearing with a hand pressing down on Kyungsoo’s throat. Kyungsoo dropped the rose and clawed at Yifan’s hand, gasping as oxygen struggled down his throat.

“This is me, ready to win this war,” Yifan whispered, another hand reaching for Kyungsoo’s bloody hand. He hadn’t noticed that he was injured, didn’t even know how he was hurt and bleeding all over the sheets but Yifan didn’t give him time to think, keeping an iron grip on Kyungsoo’s hand. Yifan held it to his face, licking at the blood on his fingers gently.

“I won’t beat around the bush anymore, Kyungsoo,” Yifan said, blood staining his lips. “Soon there will be more of your blood for me to taste, and I eagerly await the day _Jongin_ ,” he hissed his name, “Cries tears of blood in mourning for you.”

Kyungsoo spat at Yifan’s face, backhanding him with his hand. There was a sound of glass shattering, and it made Yifan lose his grip on Kyungsoo’s throat for a brief moment, but it was all he needed to scream out Jongin’s name at the top of his lungs, kicking viciously at Yifan.

“Fierce little Pureblood, aren’t you?” Yifan murmured, holding his right cheek where Kyungsoo struck him. He stood up, glowing like moonshine. “But what were you planning to achieve by calling out your lover, Kyungsoo?” he held out his arms. The part where Kyungsoo had struck Yifan was broken, fragmented into the small pieces like glass. It was strange to see that effect on someone’s face; it made Yifan look like he could break even if he was a vampire.

“I’m a vampire, Kyungsoo.” As if to prove his point, the air around him rippled like waves in the sea and he took a step back, disappearing into the Portal. As he left, Kyungsoo’s vision darkened around the edges like he was about to pass out, his energy suddenly draining out of him.

 _“Mark my words, Pureblood,”_ his voice rang loud and clear in the room.

Kyungsoo could hear people running about outside the halls. Any minute now and there would be people flooding the room.

_“You. Are. Mine.”_

A gust of wind blew at Kyungsoo’s face, rushing at him like a wall of cold air. The glass windows behind him trembled loudly. Kyungsoo scrambled out of the way, dropping down to the ground and covering his head just as the door slammed open and the glass windows gave way, shattering into tiny diamonds.

“Kyungsoo!” he heard Jongin call his name, a note of hysterics in his voice. Some of the broken glass landed by Kyungsoo’s hand, glittering in the dim moonlight like pieces of crystal. Or maybe it was because he was feeling so tired and worn out that he was starting to imagine things.

Kyungsoo looked up blearily, watching Jongin move in slow motion. His vision dimmed significantly, and he reached out for Jongin who touched his hands briefly, saying something in his ear, something like ‘You’re safe now.’ Jongin picked him up from the ground easily, voices around them barking orders to other people by the door.

“Yifan,” he murmured in Jongin’s ear, curling up in Jongin’s embrace. “I know, my love,” Jongin replied, holding Kyungsoo close to his chest. That was all Kyungsoo could remember before giving into the darkness, dropping his head on Jongin’s shoulder.

*

Kyungsoo was sleeping peacefully, listening to the faint sound of Jongin’s heartbeat, when he felt someone jiggle his shoulder. He turned away, pressing into something soft. A hand shook his shoulder again, this time with more force. He groaned in annoyance, mumbling something incoherent.

“My love, are you awake?” Jongin asked softly, a hand brushing his face gently.

“Clearly, no,” he mumbled back, inhaling Jongin’s scent.

“WAKE THE FUCK UP, KYUNGSOO, I HAVE COMMITMENTS!” someone yelled into his ear. Kyungsoo recognized the voice as Baekhyun and held up his middle finger, earning a giggle from somebody. Jongin tutted at Baekhyun somewhere above Kyungsoo while he tried to open his eyes. _Wait, somebody?_ he thought.

“Jongin, am I sleeping in front of an audience?” Kyungsoo asked softly, unwilling to open his eyes. “Yes, love. I couldn’t stop them from coming.”

He opened his eyes to squint at what seemed like a crowd in front of him. He was in Jongin’s office and there was Yixing, Jongdae, Chanyeol, Baekhyun, Luhan and Sehun, all of them seated and looking at him expectantly. Even Minseok and Eunyoung were there in the background.

“Hi,” Chanyeol waved at him.

“Jesus,” Kyungsoo said, rubbing his eyes. “He’s not here,” Jongdae replied him. Kyungsoo blinked in confusion for a moment, and realized what Jongdae meant. Sehun laughed and high fived Jongdae. “That’s—I’m aware that Jesus can’t make it,” he said dryly.

That only made Chanyeol and Baekhyun laugh, while the rest of them stared and wondered what the joke was about. Kyungsoo noticed that his hand had already been bandaged up, and suspected Jongin was behind it.

When they finally stopped laughing and Kyungsoo felt more awake, Baekhyun said, “Now, we get that you want to go back to sleep. Frankly, half of us here are gonna be wide awake throughout the rest of the night but whatever, let’s just get this over with. Yifan has his own daylight army, now Jongin has his own night soldiers. Aren’t we?” Baekhyun nudged Jongdae in the ribs. Sehun nodded in agreement at him while Jongdae studiously ignored him, poking Sehun’s pale hand.

“We just need to ask you a few questions, then we can get started on maybe planning a spell to help Kai,” Sehun said, looking down at a notepad in front of him. It looked strangely familiar, and he realized it had come from Chanyeol, a pen stuck at the top of the notepad. Kyungsoo felt like he was being interrogated by a group of policemen as Sehun flipped through the pages.

Kyungsoo looked at Jongin beside him, and realized he had been sleeping on Jongin’s lap the entire time. “How long was I out?” Kyungsoo asked, getting off of his numb ass to sit on his own.

“Long enough for all of them to gather,” Jongin replied, blushing a little. He waved at Eunyoung for some tea for all of them, and she hustled off to the kitchen. 

“Ugh, so slow,” Baekhyun scoffed, snatching the notepad from Sehun. He gave Baekhyun with a dirty look. “Here we are. Okay, so what did Yifan say to you? What was the Osiria Rose doing in your bed? Why was Jongin’s dagger stuck on the ground near the entrance of the room? How did Yifan get in?”

“Which one do you want me to answer?” Kyungsoo deadpanned. It was Luhan’s turn to give Baekhyun a dirty look. “That’s not how you interview someone. Gimme that notebook,” Luhan said, snatching it away.

“Hmm…. Okay, so how did Yifan get in? You should start from the beginning, Baek, not read blindly off the pages,” Luhan tutted at him. Yixing stifled a giggle, looking away.

Kyungsoo told them the entire story, only stopping to sip at some tea. Yixing and Jongdae nodded at a few parts while Sehun took notes, scrawling untidily all over the page. Chanyeol, Minseok and Baekhyun listened like he was telling them a bed time story, but Jongin looked upset behind him, rubbing Kyungsoo’s hand under the table. He winced at the part where Yifan tried to strangle him, and Kyungsoo gave him a comforting glance.

“But something’s really weird. I don’t get why I was so tired once Yifan left,” Kyungsoo said, frowning.

“That’s ‘cause he wasn’t really there,” Jongdae said, looking over Sehun’s shoulder. “Could you write nicely, please? It’d be nice to be able to read,” he said to Sehun, who ignored him and went on writing.

“What d’you mean he wasn’t really there?” Kyungsoo asked.

“Well, he’s never actually been here in Lycanfort before, so he can’t physically set foot in here. What he _can_ do is harness energy from you, to appear and communicate with you as if he’s really there. He must’ve created a new spell or something to do it, since it’s not an actual spell in _Den Boken av Kaos,_ but it’s not entirely impossible, only a matter of concept,” Jongdae explained.

“But—the rose, you guys asked me about it, so doesn’t it mean you guys have seen it?” Kyungsoo asked. Jongin nodded. “It’s on my desk. Your blood was all over it,” Jongin said, sounding angry. “Oh. Do you think it could be enchanted or something?”

Sehun shook his head. “I don’t think so. Me and Jongdae checked it, and it’s just a normal flower. He must’ve used a lot of your energy to make it materialize physically,” Sehun said, looking at it. Yixing got up to get it, tossing it to Baekhyun.

“It’s pretty though. Why did he think of giving this to Kyungsoo?” Baekhyun asked, observing it and giving it a sniff.

“It’s something Yifan does when he pronounces war on his enemies,” Jongdae said. “Once you’ve been handed one by him, he means to kill.” Jongin’s jaw clenched.

“Well. What are we going to do about this then? We can’t leave Kyungsoo alone anymore, and this problem can’t go on any longer. He’s not supposed to arrive in at least three more days, tops, but if he has those werewolves, they could arrive first, and give him a head start on destroying the place,” Luhan said, drumming his fingers on the table.

Everyone was quiet, unsure of what to say. Kyungsoo toyed with his empty cup, running his fingers over the rim. Sehun tapped his pen on the notepad, trying to think of something to do.

“If… I can make a suggestion?” Minseok suddenly said, voice soft and timid. Everyone looked up at him and he seemed to shrink under the gazes. “Um, at the risk of sounding rude, Master, can I just clarify that Yifan actually means to kill Sir Kyungsoo and not… you?” he said to Jongin.

“That’s right. What’re you getting at?” Chanyeol asked. Yixing patted his arm reassuringly. “I mean, if you think about it, Sir Kyungsoo seems to have always been his target. But maybe he too, has a weakness. Not that Sir Kyungsoo is your weakness, Kai, I’m just saying—”

“No, no, go on,” Kyungsoo said. He had an idea of what Minseok could be getting at, but wanted to see if he had the same idea first. “Well, if Yifan wants to kill Kyungsoo then maybe we could perhaps, divert our attention to Tao instead?” Minseok squeaked.

For a moment, no one said anything, staring at Minseok blankly. Kyungsoo was amazed that, Minseok, a stable boy, could actually work out such a sneaky plan that even two seasoned vampires and two royal werewolves didn’t even think of.

Jongdae clapped his hands slowly, nodding his head wisely. “Just brilliant. Kai, I believe someone here needs to be promoted.” Then Sehun clapped too, and soon Baekhyun and Chanyeol clapped too, albeit somewhat madly.

“Er, it was just an idea. I understand that I’m not someone who is well versed in the ways of war but—”

“There will be a meeting tomorrow morning, Minseok. Be there at 8,” Jongin said, drawing Kyungsoo close.

“So we’re going to do it?” Baekhyun asked. Jongdae stretched his fingers, bones cracking. “With Kai’s permission, we could go with this plan. It actually makes sense to attack Tao. He’s leverage for us, and Yifan won’t be able to concentrate on him once he’s here. We could work out a plan that’ll work to our advantage, and maybe, just maybe, the tides could turn to our favour,” Jongdae said, sliding the notepad to himself and writing something down.

“I could be bait,” Kyungsoo said to Jongdae. He looked up at Kyungsoo, gears working in his brain. “That’s not a bad idea—”

“No.” Jongin shook his head, pulling Kyungsoo away from Jongdae’s direction. “I will not put Kyungsoo in danger. Minseok’s plan is wonderful the way it is, and Kyungsoo doesn’t have to be involved. No,” Jongin said firmly. Jongdae’s hand hovered over the notepad uncertainly, looking at the both of them.

“Why not? Jongin, this could work for us, I don’t get why I can’t be involved—” Jongin cut him off. “You will not, Kyungsoo, put yourself in needless danger. If the plan fails, then what happens to you?”

“There’s a sacrifice, Jongin! If I die, I die. If you die, then well, I’ll be pretty fucked, but don’t you get it, Jongin? Someone has to die for this—”

For heaven’s sake, it will not be you!” Jongin slammed his fist on the table, fissures appearing under his fist. Luhan gave a squeak, and then shut himself up by slapping a fist over his mouth. They all looked away, avoiding eye contact with the both of them. Jongin was breathing heavily, and looked down at his fist in mild surprise.

“Don’t argue with me on this, my love. You—This is not your destiny,” Jongin said softly, deflating as fast as he inflated with anger. “Jongin, listen to me, it could work for us,” Kyungsoo pleaded, but Jongin was having none of it. He walked out of the office, hands raking his hair in frustration.

Kyungsoo sighed, turning to look back at the lot of them. They were all shifting uncomfortably in their seats, but Baekhyun was the only one who looked up at him. “Give him time,” he said, standing up to hug Kyungsoo. Sehun nodded. “It… It would be hard for me to take if Luhan was bait too,” Sehun said. “Understand him a little. He’s not your kind, after all.”

 “I’ll talk to him,” Kyungsoo nodded. “Just um… just go on with Minseok’s plan, I guess. I’ll see if he’s… open to the idea of involving me,” Kyungsoo said, feeling oddly close to tears for some reason. Luhan got up as well. “I’ll walk you back to your room,” he said, holding out his hand. Baekhyun linked arms with Kyungsoo, and they left silently, leaving the rest of them in the office.

“It’s a good idea. Why won’t he go with it?” Kyungsoo said, once they were outside.

“He doesn’t want you to get killed,” Luhan replied dutifully. They flanked Kyungsoo on both sides, timing their feet to the same steps to kill time, since Kyungsoo wasn’t sure of what to expect from Jongin.

“But I won’t be. There’ll be you guys to protect me surely, and if I die then…”

“Maybe he’s not ready to take that chance yet,” Baekhyun suggested. “It’d be pretty unrealistic to think that no one will die though. I mean, our story has been drafted since who knows when. If we’re basing this off how much of the prophecy is true, then by all means, a sacrifice will be made, since I met Jongin and I’m a Pureblood and everything. It might not even be me. It could be Yifan, or Tao…”

“Or me… or Luhan,” Baekhyun continued. “Yeah. It could be any one of us. Or maybe even… y’know. Suho,” Kyungsoo lowered his voice. “The possibility is there,” Luhan nodded. “He _is_ quite badly injured.”

“Right. I should just record all of this and just let him hear it,” Kyungsoo said. “We make a lot of sense when we’re together,” Luhan smiled, a skip in his footsteps.

They were barely done with the conversation when they almost ran into Jongin at the dining hall. Baekhyun spotted his hand over the hand rest of his throne, and he shushed them with his finger, his face scrunching up in an ugly way as he waved at them to back up behind the wall separating the private dining hall from the public dining hall.

“What is it?” Kyungsoo mouthed, walking as silently as possible to hide behind the wall. The hall was obviously empty, but there were servants seated at the other end of the hall, picking beans or whatever for next day’s meal. They looked at them strangely as Luhan got down to his knees and peered out, rolling his eyes once he realized it was only Jongin. Baekhyun waved at them, sending them a flirty wink.

“He’s crying,” Luhan mouthed, rubbing his eyes to demonstrate. “Don’t be so fucking dramatic, I’m sure he’s just had the flu or something,” Kyungsoo hissed, looking out to see if he was really crying. He held his breath to listen closely, and for a while there was nothing, until he heard a small sniffle from Jongin. It was just a small one, but it made Kyungsoo rethink about his decision to put himself up as bait. Maybe it wasn’t worth Jongin’s misery?

Kyungsoo looked back with a shocked expression, rendered speechless. Luhan and Baekhyun looked haughtily at him. “Still thinking about being bait for a piranha like Tao?” Baekhyun half whispered.

“Tsk. Whose side are you on?” Kyungsoo said, pushing at Baekhyun’s chest. He didn’t budge, because vampire, which only made Kyungsoo angrier.

“But he’s right, Kyungsoo. Do you really want Jongin to be reduced to that once you’re gone?” They all leaned out to peer at him again. “He’s gonna be doing a whole lotta that if you die,” Luhan said in Kyungsoo’s ear. Jongin put his head on the table, staring blankly into space.

“I thought you both were supposed to support me!” Kyungsoo hissed at them. “We’re on no one’s side,” Luhan said uncertainly, looking at Baekhyun for affirmation and nodding confidently when Baekhyun nodded too.

“We’re not trying to make you feel bad, just… think about it. He’s shitty without you, Kyungsoo, and I would know since out of all of us, I’m the only one who grew up with him, and let me tell you, it wasn’t a pretty sight. He wasn’t as gentle as he is now, nor was he this good looking,” Luhan said, pointing a thumb at Jongin’s direction. Kyungsoo glared at him. “You’re not helping. And you have been watching too much Rich Kids of Beverly Hills. You have that valley girl slang now and don’t deny it, I know Baekhyun loves that show,” Kyungsoo pointed at Luhan, and he giggled a bit.

“But it’s a nice show—”

“Stop, stop. I don’t care what you both think. Jongin can either deal with the fact that there’s a possibility one of us could end up dead, or he can just cry about it. Either way, I’m going out there to distract Tao, and maybe Sehun can tie him up. I don’t care,” he said, holding both of his hands up. “Sehun only ties me up,” Luhan chirped.

“Oh for God’s sake, nobody needs to know that,” Kyungsoo sighed. He couldn’t decide which was worse, the fact that they were having kinky sex, or the fact that Sehun was willing to go along with Luhan’s mad plans.

“Crap, he’s coming this way,” Luhan said, pushing them towards the other end of the hall, into the room where servants kept food on hold, so that it would stay warm and they could serve food at once if a dish suddenly ran out. Luhan slammed the door behind him, not gently, and they huddled together, hiding from Jongin for some unknown reason. Unfortunately, the room was as warm as a sauna thanks to the fireplace, and Kyungsoo was practically sweating in the room just from standing.

“ _Min kjærlighet_?”

Kyungsoo could hear Jongin’s voice faintly through the wooden door. “In there, sire,” one of the maid replied him. “Goddamn it,” Luhan swore, leaning his back on the door heavily. Baekhyun dithered around the room in a panic. “What do we do, what do we do?” he whined.

“Why are we hiding from him though?” Luhan suddenly said.

Kyungsoo looked at him. “’Cause I’m not ready to deal with him.”

“But it’s your problem though. Right, Baek?” Luhan asked. Baekhyun nodded along. “Wait, no, you can’t just abandon me—”

“My love? I can hear you in there. Luhan, get off the door,” Jongin said. He was right outside the door now, and although it was irrational, Kyungsoo didn’t want to see him just yet.

“It’s too warm in here anyway. What do you say, Baek?” Luhan asked, weighing his body down on the door as Jongin tried to push the door open. “I’d say it’s too warm for a vampire in here. On the count of three, ‘kay?”

“No, no, no don’t leave me—”

“One,” Baekhyun counted. “Luhan, don’t make me kill you later,” Jongin muttered.

“Oh fuck, he’s really breaking in! Guys, you have to be with me—” Kyungsoo said, anxiety making his heart beat faster. “Two…”

“Love, I don’t see why you’re hiding in the room like this—”

Baekhyun finally yelled ‘three’ and Luhan ripped the door open, rushing out of the door like a mad cow with Baekhyun speeding after him, screeching with laughter. They practically stomped out of the dining hall like little children, and Jongin watched them run away with a confused look ( _He’s so cute! But I can’t face him yet_ , Kyungsoo thought, waving his thoughts away).

Kyungsoo tried to make a run for it as well, taking advantage of Jongin’s astonishment, but Jongin was too quick for him. He caught him by the sleeve as Kyungsoo went past, and he cursed his lack of athleticism as Jongin pulled him backwards. His shoes slid on the floor as he reluctantly turned to face Jongin.

“Hahaha, um, nice to meet you,” Kyungsoo said awkwardly, looking at the table behind Jongin. “Love? Are you alright?” Jongin asked, trying to meet Kyungsoo’s gaze. Kyungsoo’s courage was diminishing by the second; he wasn’t so sure about being bait anymore if it would only make Jongin cry and neither was he entirely confident in his negotiating skills.

Kyungsoo glanced up at Jongin for a very brief second, spotting his red and swollen eyes. “Nice weather we’re having,” Kyungsoo blurted.

“My love, did someone hit you over the head?” Jongin asked. “No. But did… someone… hit _you_? Over _your_ head?” Kyungsoo asked defensively, unable to think of anything to say at this point. Jongin looked like he wanted to laugh.

“No. But can you say the same as someone who tried to run away from his true love?” Jongin asked, a smile playing on his lips.

Kyungsoo gasped. “You’re so weird, how can you call yourself _my_ true love? Excuse you, Jongin, but _I’m_ your true love,” he said, jabbing Jongin’s chest. In his mind, however, Kyungsoo wanted to curl up into a ball and die.

“You’re not making any sense, love,” Jongin smiled, stifling a laugh. Kyungsoo exhaled and then inhaled. “It’s clear I need sleep. Can I go now?” he asked.

“No, not until you explain yourself. Why were you running away?” Jongin asked, pulling Kyungsoo up against him by tugging the belt loops of his jeans. “No reason,” Kyungsoo said, leaning away from Jongin. “I was just passing by, about to retire for the night, when I thought I heard someone crying, so Luhan, Baek and I thought we should give whoever it was some privacy. Was it you?” Kyungsoo asked, pretending to know nothing.

“Don’t lie, my love, I know you know it was me. I heard your heartbeat the minute you were behind this wall,” Jongin said huskily, pulling Kyungsoo’s upper body upwards and nipping at his jaw. “Stop listening to my heartbeat then. I read in an article that it’s good for a couple to develop their own respective individualities. You’re too clingy,” Kyungsoo said, trying not to feel anything as Jongin kissed his Adam’s apple.

“Is that what you think of me?” Jongin asked, kissing Kyungsoo’s lips chastely. “No. Yes. A bit,” Kyungsoo said, trying to wriggle out of Jongin’s embrace.

“I see. Would you prefer if I wasn’t so… clingy? Perhaps, allow you to run around in the battlefield once Yifan arrives?”

“That’s the best idea I’ve ever heard from you, honestly. But why are we bringing this up? You’re clingy in other ways too,” Kyungsoo said, pretending to be nonchalant about the bait thing. Jongin nibbled on Kyungsoo’s earlobe, and he shivered in Jongin’s arms, feeling tingly all over.

“Ooh, yes… Wait, wait no,” Kyungsoo said, pushing at Jongin’s body. Jongin tutted at him in disgruntlement. “I won’t let you change my mind about being bait, my love. There’s a lot to lose if the plan fails,” Jongin said, caressing his face.

“Ha. And do I need your permission to do it? No, because you’re not my dad. It’d be all kinds of weird if you were my dad,” Kyungsoo said, stepping away from Jongin. “Fair point, love; I’m not your father, and you don’t need me to tell you what to do,” Jongin replied, closing the distance Kyungsoo had put between them. “But I made a promise to myself, love, that whatever happens, you will never be in danger, not ever. Are you suggesting I break that promise?” he said, backing Kyungsoo up against the wall.

Kyungsoo gurgled nervously, having inadvertently become the meat in between Jongin and the wall’s sandwich.

“I think I heard something about promises, and how they’re made to be broken,” Kyungsoo said, not daring to meet Jongin’s heated gaze. Jongin reached a hand to the wall beside Kyungsoo’s head, placing their foreheads together.

“I don’t think you know how ridiculous you sound, but strangely enough I still want you, my love,” Jongin said softly. “So is that a yes? To breaking promises?” Kyungsoo squeaked, shutting his eyes.

“Never,” Jongin whispered, kissing Kyungsoo hard on his open mouth. Jongin tasted of bitter anger and frustration, but Kyungsoo kissed him back, annoyed but in love with Jongin at the same time. _There’s no real reason to worry about being bait,_ he thought. It was nice to see Jongin worried about him, but there was a fine line between overprotectiveness and safety. “You’ll be there to keep me safe, Jongin. I know you will be,” Kyungsoo said between kisses.

“No,” Jongin uttered, sucking on Kyungsoo’s bottom lip. Kyungsoo moaned, placing a tentative hand to support himself on Jongin’s shoulder. “Please,” Kyungsoo whispered pleadingly. “I promise you’ll never have to break any promises to yourself again.”

Jongin chuckled under his breath. “Sometimes I think you were made to infuriate me, love. Must I always be the responsible one?”

“Then let me do this one thing, Jongin, please. You told me not to worry, so I’m not worrying over anything. You can’t just expect me to sit down and wait for you to go to war. What if you don’t make it either?” Kyungsoo asked.

Jongin sighed, pushing away from the wall. “What will it take to change your mind?” he asked wearily, putting a hand on his forehead. Kyungsoo didn’t like to see him worried, but then again, Jongin volunteered to be the one fretting over everything. He could feel Jongin’s resolve shaking, and he decided to change tactic, holding Jongin’s hand to his cheek.

“Nothing. What will it take for _you_ to change _your_ mind?” Kyungsoo returned, taking one step forward to kiss Jongin again. Jongin made no move to resist, hands moving down to hold Kyungsoo close. “I cannot lose you, my love. It would shatter me,” Jongin whispered, not meeting Kyungsoo’s gaze.

“I’ll promise you then. I won’t die on you, and in turn you can’t die on me either. This is one promise that I won’t ever ask you to break, Jongin. Just say yes, and I’ll never bother you about this again,” Kyungsoo whispered back, placing his hands on either side of Jongin’s face. Jongin’s eyes were still a little red and puffy, making him appear younger than his true age, but it still didn’t change the fact that he was still the most beautiful boy Kyungsoo had ever seen.

Jongin didn’t answer him right away, looking down at him with a wistful expression. “You promise?” he said uncertainly. Kyungsoo nodded. Jongin bit his lip, bumping his forehead down on Kyungsoo’s gently. “If you want me to be even more convincing, I will also stay with you for the rest of my life,” Kyungsoo added. There was no harm in saying it anyway.

Jongin smiled, laughter lighting up his eyes. “How heartening. _My_ true love wants to stay with me,” he said, kissing Kyungsoo on the lips, making Kyungsoo blush. “Tease,” he muttered.

Jongin hugged him, arms going all around Kyungsoo’s torso. Kyungsoo tucked his head in the crook of Jongin’s neck, getting into a cuddly mode with Jongin. Jongin inhaled Kyungsoo’s hair, kissing the top of his head. “Very well. But you’ll be going out on the battlefield under my conditions,” Jongin said firmly.

Kyungsoo sighed happily. Whatever Jongin’s conditions were, he knew he had won half the battle; he would play a part in hopefully winning this war, and maybe, just maybe, he would have his forever with Jongin.

 


	12. idol of roses, iconic soul, I know your name... lead me to war with your brilliant direction

Lycanfort was bone chilling cold. Kyungsoo exhaled, watching his breath cloud before him for an instant before dissipating. He was out in the open, not exactly voluntarily, because Jongdae wanted them to practice for the war that would soon ensue. Consequently, that meant Jongdae had to be woken up, all cranky and moody, to cast a spell on himself and Baekhyun to be able to go out under the Sun.

As of right now, Jongdae still needed Baekhyun to be able to read the spell out loud properly first before anything else, and since Kyungsoo had nothing else to do, he practiced with the sword in the gardens a few feet from where they were practicing with Luhan, while Chanyeol sipped at fruit juice the servants had made for them every minute or so.

Jongin was too busy informing all of his men that Kyungsoo would be among them in the battlefield, and so he couldn’t join in, asking Luhan to step in for him. Even if they were outside to prepare for a war, Kyungsoo couldn’t help appreciating muted moments like this, the calm before the storm. If you could call stabbing the air with a heavy sword calming.

Baekhyun scribbled something on his hand while Jongdae tapped his foot impatiently on the stone path. Baekhyun double checked the words in _Den Boken av Kaos_ and the ones on his hand and he nodded, apparently satisfied with his cross reference. Then Baekhyun tossed the pen at Chanyeol, who caught precariously between two fingers. He took a deep breath to calm himself, jiggling his arms and legs to shake off his nerves.

 _He doesn’t need to breathe anymore though_ , Kyungsoo thought, slicing at Luhan’s torso but not quite making it.

It had been two days since Jongin promised Kyungsoo that he would be able to help them in the war, and quite some time since Baekhyun had been Turned, but Kyungsoo still hadn’t gotten his mind around the fact that his best friend, Byun Baekhyun, the kind of guy who loved going to Busan in the summer to soak up some sun could never go out into the Sun anymore (without his magical sunscreen anyway), could never be among Purebloods at ease. He couldn’t say that he regretted the decision to save Baekhyun either, because he’d still rather have Baekhyun halfway than not at all.

“Alright. From the top,” Jongdae said, rolling up his sleeves. Why he would always dress in long sleeved dress shirts and stylish trench coats was a mystery to Kyungsoo, but he supposed it was more about taste than layering up against the cold wintery air. Baekhyun raised his left hand to the sky, looking at the book in his other hand.

“Um…” Baekhyun rattled off a string of complicated words, stuttering on a few of them as he spoke. Kyungsoo was positive that it sounded like anything but Jongin’s language. They waited for something to happen, anything, from a bird pooping on his head to thunder clapping in the skies.

There was nothing.

Jongdae covered his eyes with his hands, looking sorely disappointed. “What?” Baekhyun exclaimed. “I can’t be getting all this right on the first try!”

“It’s your seventeenth try at the same spell. You know, you’d think someone who went to college could do well at this,” Jongdae remarked, snarky. Baekhyun sighed, looking up at the sky. “It’s okay,” Kyungsoo called, blocking a stiff blow from Luhan.

“Just take it slow.” Chanyeol curved his fingers into a heart in encouragement.

“No, he can’t take it slow. Do you have any idea how close Yifan’s army is to Lycanfort?” Jongdae said, exasperated. “I’m wasting precious time on you under the Sun when I could be sleeping,” Jongdae threw his hands up into the sky. Baekhyun pouted. “I’m sorry,” he muttered.

Jongdae grumbled under his breath, flipping through the pages of _Den Boken av Kaos_. “If you really can’t do this then I guess we’ll have to start from rock bottom. Basic, elementary spells until you figure out how to summon your own powers,” Jongdae said, shutting the book. “You can still have the book for future reference but please,” he said, pointing at Baekhyun. “Don’t try it alone. One of us has to be there to guide you through the process,” Jongdae said, referring to Sehun.

Kyungsoo tried swing at Luhan, but he evaded his attack at the last time. “You’re worse at this than Baekhyun is with his spells,” Luhan laughed.

Meanwhile Baekhyun nodded at Jongdae. “So what do I… What do I say?” Baekhyun asked, shifting his weight from foot to foot.

Jongdae smirked. “That’s the best part. No words, Baekhyun. Just willpower and European instinct. The … well, it’s not really a spell. It’s more of basic instinct. See the Portal there?” Jongdae asked, standing beside Baekhyun and pointing into the distance. Kyungsoo continued to attack Luhan till he was sweaty in his coat, feeling hot and cold at the same time.

“I want you to summon the water from the Portal. Don’t worry about summoning too much; it’s not a normal bathtub,” Jongdae smiled. Baekhyun looked bewildered. “B-But. How do I do that? Just say ‘C’mere water’?”

“Whatever way you want to summon it, just do it. Honestly, this is like learning how to walk. You’ll struggle with this initially, but it gets easier as you practice. Then one day you won’t even have to think about doing it, it just comes to you.” Jongdae waved at Kyungsoo and Luhan to stop their practice for a moment, just in case Baekhyun did something stupid.

For the next fifteen minutes, Baekhyun grunted at the air, gripping his fist in the Portal’s direction like he was angry at it. His face was determined, but determination seemed to make no difference as he tried to no avail to summon water. At first, it made all of them laugh, but when it was Baekhyun’s tenth try the novelty was gone and Kyungsoo was left feeling bored.

“Wonder how Suho’s doing,” Kyungsoo said, balancing his sword on the ground and leaning on it like a walk cane. “He’s actually doing pretty well,” Luhan replied him, twirling the sword out of boredom. Kyungsoo blinked in surprise. “You’ve been to see him already?”

“No, I heard Kai mention it to someone,” Luhan said.

“Oh,” Kyungsoo wasn’t sure what to say. He was definitely pleased to hear that Suho was doing well but in his heart, he had quietly hoped that maybe the sacrifice was Suho; after all, the sacrifice was someone indispensible, someone who made a difference to this war, and that meant Suho in a way.

But maybe it wasn’t meant to be like that. Kyungsoo frowned, thinking about who could be the sacrifice. He didn’t want it to be Jongin or himself, that was for sure. _Could it be Yifan?_ He thought. Maybe all of his plans would backfire, and Kyungsoo and Jongin would never have to worry about any of their friends being dead.

 _Or maybe_ our _plans will backfire, and none of us will live to see next week,_ Kyungsoo made a face. That wasn’t too appealing to Kyungsoo.

Suddenly, Luhan and Chanyeol made gurgly noises of fright, running away from Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo blinked, and looked up just in time to see water suspended like a curtain above him before Luhan tugged him backwards, out of the way.

Water hit the ground with a smack, little droplets flickering into the air and staining the stone path into a darker shade. Kyungsoo stared at it in amazement. Everyone looked stunned, even Baekhyun was in disbelief. “Did I… Did I just do that?”

Jongdae clapped his hands slowly, walking towards a dumbfounded Baekhyun and smacking his back. “This is good. It didn’t take you long, so it means you have potential for magic, Baekhyun. Try it again,” Jongdae suggested.

“Yeah, but maybe dump the water on things that actually need it,” Luhan said, pointing at the flowers beside him. Kyungsoo resisted the urge to laugh as Chanyeol collected the glasses of fruit juice on the ground. Baekhyun got flustered and protested, “I didn’t—I wasn’t even concentrating on it! I just heard Chanyeol yawning, and I glanced at him and suddenly there was all that water—”

“Don’t think too much about how you did it, Baek, just try to get in the same state of mind again. It’s too complex for you to understand now even if I tried to explain it to you,” Jongdae shook his head. Baekhyun looked down at his hands uncertainly.

“I don’t know if I can—”

“You can, babe. And you will,” Chanyeol called out at him, giving him two thumbs up. Baekhyun smiled a little, grateful for Chanyeol’s support. Kyungsoo nudged Luhan and cheered him on, hoping to give him some sense of confidence. A servant lurking around behind them stepped forward to clear away the fruit juice, since Baekhyun had ruined it by adding too much water into their drinks.

“Think about all the things you could do with all that water when you’re alone with Chanyeol,” Luhan said, holding his fists up in the air. Kyungsoo gave him a surly look. Baekhyun giggled, turning his body to face the Portal again.

He took a deep breath, looking like he was about to audition for Broadway. Jongdae stepped away from him, tucking his hands into his pockets. “Whenever you’re ready,” he said softly, knowing that Baekhyun would be able to hear.

Kyungsoo watched Baekhyun closely this time, wanting to see how Baekhyun did it. At first, he didn’t move, standing with his legs apart on soft, dewy grass as he concentrated. Baekhyun’s left hand twitched an inch, but Kyungsoo caught it in his line of sight and heard the deceptively soft whoosh of water moving, like waves crashing against the seashore.

Baekhyun opened his eyes, looking up at the sky with a thoughtful expression. He exhaled even though there was no air in his lungs, although there was nothing happening. Then Kyungsoo heard it again, water sloshing and moving around. He looked to his left and gasped, shaking Luhan’s arm.

Water was leaving the Portal in a twisted, horizontal line, moving against itself and spilling about but seeming to collect itself as it moved like it had a mind of its own. It looked like a transparent dragon, and Baekhyun held up a hand, a calm expression on his face. The water headed to him, exiting the Portal in an unbroken line and reached Baekhyun, swirling around gently.

“Don’t break concentration, Baekhyun. You control the water, not the other way ‘round,” Jongdae said under his breath. Whether Baekhyun heard or not, he wasn’t sure; more and more water started to surround Baekhyun until he was a distorted image to Kyungsoo, like looking at a reflection on a surface of rippling water.

Baekhyun moved his hand to the right and the water followed, moving away from him and winding itself into a whirl. “How am I doing?” Baekhyun breathed.

“Good,” Kyungsoo called. Baekhyun smiled, holding out his hand and letting the water hang suspended in the air. “You can stop now,” Jongdae said. Baekhyun looked at him and nodded.

He squeezed his hand into a tight fist, the water obeying him as he moved. It exploded into a cloud of vapour in front of him like mist, descending to the ground.

Kyungsoo clapped first, like a proud soccer mom. Baekhyun looked shy as Luhan and Chanyeol joined in, running over to aggressively show their love. They slapped him on the shoulder and back as they over exaggerated their praises, his lungs almost shooting out when Luhan delivered a particularly hard smack.

“Ahaha, I think that’s enough now,” Baekhyun said, holding up a hand. Luhan high fived his hand instead and threw his arms over Baekhyun’s shoulders, clinging on Baekhyun tightly. “The protégé returns!” he yelled. Jongdae laughed, going over to congratulate Baekhyun as well.

“You did good, Baek. Really,” he said.

Kyungsoo smiled at Baekhyun, congratulating him softly, feeling happy for Baekhyun and worried at the same time. He didn’t know that many people who could control water without touching it, and was proud to count Baekhyun as one of them. He would’ve joined them to playfully tease Baekhyun, but there was just too much on his mind unsettled, lurking in the back of his mind like a virus.

Baekhyun and Jongdae had just started up practice again, and Luhan was about to swing his sword at Kyungsoo when Luhan glanced away from him, putting the sword down.

_“Min kjærlighet?”_

Kyungsoo looked up at the French glass doors. “Jongin?”

Jongin was standing on one of the steps with an expectant look on his face, hands behind his back. “Do you have a moment to spare?” Jongin asked. Ah, Jongin. The sunshine peeking through Kyungsoo’s clouds. He could distract Kyungsoo from anything with that face of his. Jongin gave him a shy smile, stepping forward to kiss Kyungsoo on the forehead.

“That’s my line,” Kyungsoo smiled, putting his sword down. Luhan gave them some privacy, pretending to watch Baekhyun practice while eavesdropping on their conversation.

 “I’m sorry that I wasn’t there when you woke up,” Jongin said, putting a hand around Kyungsoo’s waist but keeping his other hand concealed.

“’S okay… What you got there?” Kyungsoo asked, trying to look at what he was holding. “Patience, love. Let’s talk somewhere private,” Jongin suggested. “Oh. Okay then. Luhan, we’ll be back in a minute,” Kyungsoo called at him. Luhan nodded.

“Shall we?” Jongin smiled, offering his arm for Kyungsoo to hold as they entered the castle. He led Kyungsoo into a dead end not far from the main entrance, a playful smile barely concealed on his face.

“Is this private enough for you?” Kyungsoo asked. The other end of the hall was the servants’ headquarters, and girls were always entering and leaving through the swinging door. In Kyungsoo’s opinion, the dead end wasn’t much of a private spot.

“It will have to suffice. I just prepared a little gift for you is all, love,” Jongin said, holding up the thing in his hand. Kyungsoo looked at it and realized it was a square, wooden box, a little too large for him to hold in one hand.

“Why are you reusing this box when you said it was for Suho?” Kyungsoo asked, turning it around and around in his hands to examine it. Jongin blinked, then chuckled in amusement.

“That was… a white lie, my love. You caught me unawares when you stopped by my office that day,” he said, caressing Kyungsoo’s face gently as he explained. Kyungsoo tutted at him. “Weren’t you going on about trust and honesty the other day as well?”

“Oh, just open the box, love. I want to see your face once you see what’s inside,” Jongin bit his lip.

“Why? What is it? A bomb?” Kyungsoo asked. He shook the box, hearing something muffled rattle inside. “Just a little something for you. I had two made for us, so if you like it then we could… maybe put it on together,” Jongin mumbled, dropping his gaze to the floor.

Kyungsoo smiled, feeling his heart flutter in his chest. So it was a memento to represent the both of them? He fingered the latch on the box. “Since you got me all curious about it, I’ll have to open it then,” he said, unlocking it. Kyungsoo slid his thumb under the cover, lifting it up slowly.

Jongin watched Kyungsoo’s expression attentively, trying to gauge his reaction. Kyungsoo for one, had never been one to mind expensive jewellery, never mind receive any. One could suppose Kyungsoo wasn’t to blame to react explosively when he realized what was inside.

Nestled in blue velvet were two slim, silver bands, polished to a clean finish, sparkling flawlessly as it caught light and twinkled in Kyungsoo’s eyes. But it wasn’t the metal that made tears dot Kyungsoo’s eye. It was the diamonds, or a _diamond_ , to be exact, a solid piece of diamond curved impossibly around the bands. He had only seen little diamonds dotted around a bracelet, the prices high enough to make him feel like a beggar.

“How…? Is this really for me?” Kyungsoo choked. He pushed the box back at Jongin. “I don’t—this is too much, Jongin, and fuck, it looks expensive,” Kyungsoo said. Jongin looked wounded, holding the box. “But love, don’t you like it?”

“I do. But how much did that even cost you, it’s worth more than my life and Baekhyun’s put together—” Kyungsoo had to look away, the diamond band was just too beautiful for him to behold. “And it’s silver! How can you wear silver?” Kyungsoo asked.

“It’s white gold, actually. And the rock,” Jongin pulled out one of the bands, holding it out to Kyungsoo. “It melts when heated to high temperatures, and the goldsmith pours it into the bands. See how the gold holds the rock around the edges?” Jongin asked.

“I do see, and it smells filthy rich. Jongin, what did you even do to even get your hands on something like this?” Kyungsoo said, taking the gold band tentatively. The metal was cool in his hand, the surface of the diamond or whatever it was rough to the touch. “How did you even manage to—to stretch the diamond?”

Jongin furrowed his eyebrows. “It’s not diamond, love. I don’t think you can find it in the Pureblood world but— Put it on. See if it fits,” Jongin said. “No, I can’t put it on, I can’t take it, Jongin, it’s too much—”

“Just put it on, love,” Jongin said softly, imploring him with his eyes. Kyungsoo bit his lip hesitantly, putting it on his hand slowly. It fitted him nicely and sat around his wrist, glittering against his skin. “It’s really pretty,” Kyungsoo whispered, touching the surface again. He couldn’t believe how the rock looked so smooth, but felt so rough to his fingertips.

“It is, isn’t it? There’s also an engraving on the inside,” Jongin said, taking out the other band and putting it on. Kyungsoo took it off to read the engraving, but handed it back to Jongin. “I can’t read it,” he said flatly. Jongin smiled without looking at it. “It says, _Jeg eringenting uten deg, min kjærlighet.”_

“Ah. And it means?”

“I am nothing without you, my love,” Jongin muttered softly.       

Kyungsoo smiled up at Jongin. “You’re such a sap, Jongin,” he said, and Jongin blushed. “What does yours say?” Kyungsoo asked, fitting the band around his wrist. _I suppose it wouldn’t hurt just to wear it under my sleeve or something,_ he thought.  

 “Mine doesn’t say anything, love. I was… I was just wondering if you wanted to…” Jongin trailed off in embarrassment. “These are basically couple bracelets, aren’t they? Then I’ll have to think of something romantic,” Kyungsoo said, hugging Jongin’s waist.

“Only if you want to, love, I could just have the same words engraved if you don’t want to—”

“Shut up Jongin, of course I’ll give you a really cheesy one liner,” Kyungsoo said, kissing him on his cheek and wrapping his arms tightly around Jongin. Jongin’s chest rumbled as he laughed silently, returning Kyungsoo’s hug.

“It’s of course, over the top and excessive of you,” Kyungsoo said, looking at it again. “But I kind of like it. I promise I’ll think of something for you to have it engraved on your bracelet, okay?” Kyungsoo asked, unable to resist the urge to kiss him on the lips.

“So you like it?” Jongin asked shyly.

Kyungsoo nodded. “I like it more because it’s from you,” Kyungsoo said, putting both hands on Jongin’s cheeks. “Thank you.”

Jongin kissed Kyungsoo deeply, reminding Kyungsoo of what he was missing the entire morning. He never knew that it was possible to love someone this much, to want someone safe this much, but his heart swelled painfully as he gripped his fist into Jongin’s hair.

“Are you going to wear it?” Jongin murmured, breaking off to let Kyungsoo breathe. Kyungsoo nodded, unable to say anything else. He had to admit, Jongin had very good kissing skills.

“It looks lovely on you, love,” Jongin said, looking down at it again. Kyungsoo laughed breathlessly. “Yeah, well, it’s not a ring but it’s pretty all the same,” he said.

“Rings are smaller, my love, and thus does not represent my love for you adequately enough,” Jongin smiled, tracing a finger across Kyungsoo’s bottom lip. “Can I just… wear it under my sleeve though? It’s a little showy,” Kyungsoo said.

“Do what you want,” Jongin said to him, his expression unreadable. Kyungsoo had a feeling that it was showy only because Jongin wanted it to be, but he wasn’t going to be seen in public with expensive jewellery on his person, hell no.

“Maybe I’ll let a little bit of it show,” Kyungsoo scowled at Jongin, adjusting his sleeve to reveal half of the obscenely shiny bracelet. Jongin laughed unexpectedly. “As long as you wear it, _min_ _kjærlighet,_ I don’t care if I’m the only one who will see it.”

Kyungsoo and Jongin made out a little bit more before Jongin had to forcefully pull himself away from Kyungsoo. “I have things to do, love,” he said regretfully. “Will you be fine without me?”

“I survived nineteen years without you, for your info,” Kyungsoo said, pecking Jongin one last time on the cheek. “Don’t get hurt,” Jongin whispered, making Kyungsoo roll his eyes. They parted, with Jongin walking into one direction and Kyungsoo into another.

Despite having said that he would let the bracelet show, Kyungsoo self consciously pulled his sleeve down in a desperate attempt to hide it. It was too early in the relationship to be wearing gifts from Jongin, in his opinion. Not to mention the questions he would receive from Baekhyun and Luhan if they ever laid eyes on it.

Kyungsoo’s plan on concealing it didn’t last very long, however, when he returned to the gardens for sword practice. Luhan was normal up until he brushed past Kyungsoo by accident; he grabbed Kyungsoo roughly, sniffing all over him at once.

“Um, what’s with the sniff fest? ‘Cause I don’t think this is how normal people greet each other, last time I checked,” Kyungsoo said, shifting uncomfortably under Luhan’s twitching nose.

“Did you… Did Kai give you something new?” Luhan asked, starting to feel him up.

“None of your business,” Kyungsoo said, tugging himself away from Luhan’s hands. He pointed his sword at Luhan, only to have it swatted aside and be assaulted by Luhan’s nose once more.

“He did give you something, didn’t he? You smell like it, Kyungsoo, don’t try to hide it,” Luhan laughed, pushing him over and making Kyungsoo fall down. Kyungsoo yelped as he went down, earning a pointed look from Chanyeol.

“Keep up the good work with the wrestling,” he said, and went back to admiring flowers around him. Kyungsoo tried to reach him for help, holding out a hand feebly in his direction. “Let me see it! Just a little peek, so that I won’t get the same pattern as you both,” Luhan said, sitting on top of Kyungsoo heavily.

“I don’t want to die,” Kyungsoo moaned weakly under Luhan’s weight. He wondered if this was how it felt like to die suffocating for air. “You will if you don’t let me see it in the next ten seconds,” Luhan threatened. He pulled up Kyungsoo’s sleeves, and spotted it on his right hand.

“Aha! There it is,” he said, tugging it off Kyungsoo’s hand. He looked at it closely, holding it up into the light of the sun.

“Hmm, it’s designer. Old man Kim’s, no doubt. What did he say when he gave it to you? Did he propose to you and ask you to be his lawfully wedded husband?” Luhan asked, finally getting up and sitting beside Chanyeol. Kyungsoo inhaled a lungful of air gratefully, holding both arms up in the air. “Pull me up, please,” he asked, and Luhan tugged him up with one arm.

“So? What did he say to you when he gave it to you?” Luhan repeated his question.

“I’m not telling you every single conversation I’ve ever had with him,” Kyungsoo said grumpily, dusting his clothes off. Chanyeol looked at the bracelet curiously in Luhan’s hand and lifted his eyebrows at Kyungsoo. He sighed; if Chanyeol wanted to know about it, then there was no way Luhan wouldn’t hear about it from Baekhyun.

 “Sit, sit,” Luhan said to Kyungsoo, patting the spot beside him.

“He said that it was for us. He has one too,” Kyungsoo started to say, handing the bracelet back to Luhan. “Of course he has one, silly, it comes in pairs,” Luhan laughed lightly. Kyungsoo furrowed his eyebrows. “Wait, you know what it is?”

“It’s _adamas_. Didn’t Kai tell you? The metal is usually white gold or pure gold, and this rock,” Luhan ran his finger over the rough surface. “It’s called _adamas_. Would you like to learn more about it?” Luhan asked like a teacher.

“Um. What’s there to know about?” Kyungsoo said, shifting on the steps.

“Okay. _Adamas_ is exchanged between couples because it doesn’t ever lose its shine once you polish it. It’s also everlasting, so it means everlasting love between a couple,” Luhan said kindly. “In example; remember when we went to Europe? Tao was wearing lots of it. He was practically dripping _adamas_. Clearly Yifan has a big spending budget when it comes to Tao,” Luhan laughed.

Kyungsoo remembered seeing Tao wearing jewellery, but whether or not they were actually _adamas_ , he wasn’t quite sure.

“Jongin didn’t mention any of this,” Kyungsoo muttered, taking it from Luhan. “He doesn’t want you to feel pressured, I suppose. Couples only exchange them once they’ve had sex. It’s like a statement, ‘I’m taken now.’” Luhan informed him.

“Obviously, you’re lying about the sex part,” Kyungsoo rolled his eyes. “Sex or the equivalent of being intimate. Makes no difference,” Luhan chided him. “He’s also probably giving it to you right now in case y’know…” Luhan shrugged.

“In case what?”

“In case one of you dies, I suppose. Kai’s afraid he won’t get the chance to do all the things he’s always wanted to do with you.”

“Like what?” Kyungsoo asked, looking down at the simple gold band. Was Jongin as afraid as he was of the future and what it might hold for the both of them?

“Oh, we used to talk about what we would do once we found our mates when we were younger. Kai’s always wanted to have a simple marriage ceremony, just with close family and friends. I think it’s more appropriate to involve the entire kingdom, since we’re royalty and all,” Luhan huffed.

“Everyone’s entitled to their own opinion,” was all Kyungsoo replied.

“If you say so. Oh, and he used to dance,” Luhan said. It made Kyungsoo look up at him in wonder. “Dance?” he echoed.

“Yeah, like ballroom dancing, waltz… He went for classes, but stopped when Father passed,” Luhan said, leaning on Chanyeol’s shoulder. Baekhyun saw what he had done and flicked some water in his face.

“Hands off my man!” Baekhyun yelled. Luhan wiped the water off his face in disgust, pushing Chanyeol and telling him to bugger off. He stood up pitifully and had to sit somewhere else further away from them.

“I don’t dance,” Kyungsoo said flatly. Luhan pouted at him, water dripping from his hair. “Not even for your boyfriend?” He handed Kyungsoo’s sword back at him, motioning for him to get up and practice again.

“He’s—Oh my God, Luhan, he’s not a boyfriend, he’s more than a boyfriend—” Kyungsoo sputtered, taking his stance.

“Then why don’t you dance with him, for his sake? He would love to, I know he would, but he’d never say anything. Kai’s always wanted to… oh, how do you say it? Give in? He made a promise that he’d love someone with all his heart after he was made King. He’ll never tell you unless you bring it up,” Luhan said lazily. He drew his sword up, and went all out on Kyungsoo, nicking his coat with the tip of his sword.

“Even if I wanted to dance, Luhan, I wouldn’t know how to anyway. I didn’t exactly grow up with dancing classes in my schedule,” Kyungsoo said, swinging his sword dangerously close to Luhan’s face for once. Luhan made an impatient noise, holding up his sword with both hands and stabbed it towards Kyungsoo.

“Are you suggesting I teach you how to dance?” Luhan asked, panting out each word in time with his stabs. Kyungsoo glared at him. “No. And this is weird, why would I ask you to teach me how to dance?” Kyungsoo said crossly, their swords pinging as he knocked away Luhan’s sword.

“’Cause I also went for dancing classes with Kai when we were younger,” Luhan said, slurring his words on purpose like he was drunk or high. “No. I will never dance with you or Jongin, not for all the _adamas_ in the world, not because he wants to dance, no,” Kyungsoo shook his head. Luhan looked at him sweetly.

*

An hour later, Luhan was barking orders at Kyungsoo to move his left foot elegantly, not like a horse. “Keep your back straight, Kyungsoo,” Luhan said, stiffening his hold on Kyungsoo’s back. He tightened his hold on Kyungsoo’s hand as well, and once more went, “One two three, one two three,” under his breath.

“I—This is hard, Luhan,” Kyungsoo said, moving his feet across the uneven ground with careful steps in case he tripped on one of the steps and fell.

He didn’t quite remember how it had happened, but Luhan had practically thrown his sword aside, went up to Kyungsoo’s face, and demanded him to a dance. “You _will_ dance for my brother, and you _will_ dance like you were _born_ for it,” Luhan had said to him firmly. “Okay,” Kyungsoo had squeaked at him.

Luckily, for now, no one had seen them except for Chanyeol who had left with Baekhyun and Jongdae after the magical sunscreen started to fade, and they retired to take a nap for a while. With luck, Jongin would never have to know that Kyungsoo was taking dance lessons from his own brother, and was doing rather badly at it.

Luhan ignored Kyungsoo’s comment, gliding in a half circle before he stopped. “Okay. So now that the basic part’s done, you’ll need to learn this part next,” Luhan said, letting Kyungsoo go. “You bow to each other face to face like so,” Luhan said slowly, drawing an arm before him and bowing down elegantly. Kyungsoo followed suit. “How long do you have to stay bowed?” Kyungsoo asked.

“Count from one to four in your head and at four, you come back up,” Luhan instructed, straightening himself up and taking a small step to his left. “Now, this is Kai’s favourite dance of all time, so don’t mess it up,” Luhan warned him. “Hold up your right hand.”

Kyungsoo did so, like how one would do to pledge allegiance to their country. “It depends which side you’re on to lift up your hand, so keep that in mind. For now, since you have your right hand up, I will lift my _left_ hand up instead,” Luhan demonstrated, mirroring Kyungsoo.

By doing so, their hands were aligned perfectly. Luhan said, “Now that we’re synchronised, take a step forward,” Luhan said, and Kyungsoo did so. Luhan took his own step forward as well, and their hands touched.

“See how this works? Kai loves this sort of dances,” Luhan pointed at their hands. “Oh. Do I…?” Kyungsoo laced his fingers with Luhan’s long fingers. “No, don’t do that.”

“The point of doing this is to express young love, Kyungsoo. Unmarried couples in the public eye aren’t supposed to actually touch, as you might have noticed here in Downworld. Then again, Kai takes advantage of the fact that he’s King quite often,” Luhan shrugged. Kyungsoo blushed and looked away, letting go of Luhan’s hand.

“Anyway, keep your hand straight. And your back as well,” Luhan continued, jabbing a finger into Kyungsoo’s spine. He jolted upwards in surprise and scowled at Luhan.

“Right. Position’s important, remember? Now, we’ll go in a circle and lock eyes with each other, but without touching our hands,” Luhan said. Kyungsoo went with his right leg first, going clockwise into Luhan’s direction. “Keep your eyes on Kai at all times,” Luhan reminded Kyungsoo. He nodded, but he was too distracted with keeping his fingers away from Luhan’s soft hand.

“How many rounds do we have to do?”

“Four. Then we bow, and return to our previous position,” Luhan said, going one more round before they stopped at where they were before, and bowed. “Hand up and hand to my shoulder,” Luhan repeated at Kyungsoo.

He lifted his arms as Luhan had told him to, and they danced around the beds of flowers for a few minutes. It was safe to say that Kyungsoo felt like a fool dancing around the garden without any music. Luhan made him keep count as well, and they were both muttering one two three one two three as they moved together in a somewhat stiff and awkward waltz.

“This is the first dance,” Luhan finally said, when they were done. Kyungsoo stepped away from him, breathing heavily on his knees. It was more tiring than he thought because he had to swoop around in big steps to keep up with Luhan.

 “There’s more?” he wheezed. Luhan nodded happily. “There’s five altogether. Sometimes at a party, other people can butt in and demand a dance with you, but no one’s going to do that with you, of course,” Luhan reassured him.

“Shall we move on to the second dance?” Luhan inquired. Kyungsoo shook his head. “I’m going to die of famine and thirst soon,” he said, clutching his complaining stomach.

“Oh, that’s right. You haven’t eaten, have you? Well come along then, and we’ll continue after lunch,” Luhan said, guiding Kyungsoo to the dining hall. Kyungsoo didn’t say anything, but he was determined to escape Luhan’s clutches before lunch was over. There was no way he could survive four more dances.

“You know, I don’t really get why I had to learn the dance. It’s not like Jongin’s gonna throw a big party anytime soon,” Kyungsoo chided Luhan as they wound their way to the dining hall. “Sure, he will,” Luhan snorted. “When we win the war, of course.”

 Luhan held Kyungsoo’s hand as they walked and gave it a squeeze. Kyungsoo appreciated Luhan’s optimism, but whether they would really win the war was still unknown. He just hoped that everyone he cared about would be safe.

“You really think we’ll win?” Kyungsoo asked.

“Why not? We don’t play dirty. I’d say it’s only fair that we win,” Luhan said nonchalantly. Kyungsoo wished that the world was that simple.

“Everyone’s gonna do their best to defeat Yifan, and I know I’ll be one of them. Don’t you believe in us?” Luhan teased. Kyungsoo laughed weakly. “I believe in you for sure, Luhan it’s just… I don’t know what Yifan might do to win.”

They reached the dining hall, and were greeted by Chanyeol as well as a cheerful Yixing who had stopped by to visit them. “I came because Kai wanted to see me about something anyway,” Yixing said, hugging Kyungsoo briefly.

“Oh? Are you gonna be one of the nurses?” Kyungsoo asked. “Yes, actually. Kai has assigned me to one of his team of nurses, and I’ll be in the west wing, where all the spare rooms are, if you need to find me,” he replied.

“Kyungsoo might need you, yeah. Have you seen him with a sword?” Luhan asked, earning a glare from Kyungsoo. Yixing laughed, “I’m sure you’re not that bad at it.”

“Exactly. Fuck you, Luhan,” Kyungsoo said.

They were served meatloaf and vegetables by the servants, and soon they fell silent, chomping on their meat loaf and sautéed vegetables.

 He was only halfway through his meal when Kyungsoo saw, or rather heard, the commotion from the servants. At first, Kyungsoo just saw servants running to and fro around the halls. Then they started running around with things like blankets and large pots of congee, from what Kyungsoo glimpsed.

He stopped one of the girls, Miyeon, a young and pretty servant who was very willing to please, and asked her what was going on.

“There’s been an emergency evacuation of town. Some of the European wolves have been sighted some hundred miles away,” she panted, sweat dotting her forehead and clothes. “What? They’re on the way here?” Kyungsoo frowned.

“Yes. The people from town are being moved into the public hall and dining hall now. They might be here for some time,” she said hurriedly. “One last question,” Kyungsoo put down his fork. “Where’s Jongin?”

“I saw him at the stables with his men. He’s going to help them fend off the wolves,” she told him. Kyungsoo let her go about her duties after that, and looked down at his food when she was gone. He had no more appetite to eat. Luhan looked jittery, hands trembling as he studiously sliced his meat loaf in half.

“They’re actually here now,” Kyungsoo croaked. It was like a slap to his face; the war was very real now, and every romantic notion he had about the war flew out of the window. He gripped his knife tightly. If the wolves were coming, that would mean Yifan was very close now, maybe even be here by nightfall.

 _I don’t want to die_ , Kyungsoo thought, feeling a heavy weight on his chest. “Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo, relax. Kai will handle the wolves,” Chanyeol said beside him, patting him on the shoulder.

“I can’t relax when there’s an army of bloodthirsty wolves about to kill all of us! I have to—Where’s Jongin, I need to see him. He didn’t even say anything about me going out yet,” Kyungsoo said, getting to his feet.

 What if this was the last time he would ever see Jongin? He didn’t even say goodbye. Yixing got up as well, recognizing a panic attack.

“Kyungsoo, you can’t go after Kai; you heard the girl, he’s probably on his way to the border already,” Yixing said, standing in front of him and taking him by the shoulders. Luhan eyed him carefully.

“No, but he might get killed, Yixing. I have to see him before he goes—”

“Would you like some herbal tea to calm you down, Kyungsoo? You won’t make it till tonight if you’re acting like this,” Luhan said. Kyungsoo breathed through his nose, trying to gather his wits.

 _They’re right_ , he thought. _I can’t just go after Jongin, he might get distracted_.

“Kyungsoo, I know how you feel. Just calm down and eat your meal. Who knows if we’ll have dinner when it’s dark? Take care of yourself first. Then worry about others,” Luhan said calmly but firmly.

“I think I’ll take that cup of tea,” Kyungsoo muttered to Yixing, feeling faint. “I’ll prepare it for you,” he nodded. Kyungsoo swayed down into his seat numbly, wondering how he was going to shovel the rest of the meat loaf into his mouth when he felt like he was about to implode from anxiety. _Concentrate on breathing,_ he thought. Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale.

“Eat,” Luhan ordered. “I’ll wake Sehun up and tell him what’s happened. Chanyeol, don’t let Kyungsoo leave your sight. It’s a decree from Kai himself, and incidentally, me as well,” Luhan said, downing his glass of water and standing up. Chanyeol nodded, scooting over to sit closer to Kyungsoo.

“Yixing, where’s Jongdae?” Luhan asked.

“In Baekhyun’s room,” Yixing replied, digging out something from his backpack. “Good. I’ll go wake the others up,” Luhan said, walking off to Baekhyun’s room.

“I’m not going to run away,” Kyungsoo mumbled, poking at his vegetables to distract himself. “I know. But I’d rather not break the law here,” Chanyeol said, still eating normally.

“Are you gonna have that?” Chanyeol asked, pointing at the rest of Kyungsoo’s food.

“Nope,” Kyungsoo pushed his plate away. “You can have it.”

“Are you worried about Kai or the fact there’s more people in the castle now?” Chanyeol asked distractedly, stabbing Kyungsoo’s meat loaf and moving it to his plate.

“It’s not about the people, it’s just—“ Kyungsoo sighed _._ At least Chanyeol was distracting him well enough.

“This is real now, Yeol. I can’t, and I don’t want to come to terms with it, to be honest. And it’s a bit about Jongin too, I just…” Kyungsoo shrugged, watching Chanyeol eat. Maybe he could fill up his stomach from watching someone else eat.

“I get why you’re worried; I mean, trust me, I’m nervous about it too,” Chanyeol replied, sounding anything but worried. “Really? You? Worried? I’m having a hard time believing that,” Kyungsoo said flatly, taking a sip of water.

“I am. I’m worried about college, college fees, Baekhyun’s new appetite and war,” Chanyeol said, stuffing himself.

“I’m disturbed that the war is the last thing you mentioned.”

“No particular order,” Chanyeol shook his head. “I’m just worried about things I can’t control, y’know? But I believe that things will get better somehow. Like, maybe I’ll find a part time job soon to help my parents with my college fees, or maybe Baekhyun can just live me forever and we’ll live really close by a butcher’s store for blood. There’s always a way out, Soo,” Chanyeol said reassuringly.

“I don’t think war is like college,” Kyungsoo said hesitantly. But he sort of understood where Chanyeol was coming from. Maybe optimism was healthy, after all. Kyungsoo had always thought of optimism in someone as delusional, or perhaps out of touch with reality.

“Maybe the war isn’t as bad as I think it is,” Kyungsoo said. Chanyeol snapped his fingers. “Finally, you’re getting the hang of it.”

Kyungsoo laughed half-heartedly. His stomach wasn’t rolling around inside himself anymore, but the nervous tick in the back of his head didn’t let his wave of calm last very long.

When Yixing returned with the pot of tea, Kyungsoo gladly drank half of it right in front of them. Kyungsoo felt like if he didn’t at least panic about things, then he would lose his mind right in front of all of them. Even as he tried to be chipper about things, it just wasn’t in his nature. He couldn’t help but wonder what it’d be like to face Yifan once more, this time with intent to kill. Would the sword fail him at the last second, or would he or Jongin be able to end this?

Luhan came back with Jongdae, Sehun and Baekhyun in tow just as the tea was starting to take effect. They were yawning and stretching their bodies, looking around the hall blearily as servants scampered back and forth. Baekhyun flopped into a seat, putting his feet up. “You,” Sehun muttered, pointing at Baekhyun.

“You have training to do. Get out of the chair,” Sehun slurred. Jongdae stumbled over his own feet and leaned on Luhan heavily for support. “Baekhyun, go train with Sehun,” Jongdae said with his eyes half closed. “It’s your turn to babysit him anyway,” Jongdae said to Sehun.

“Yeah, Baek. I think you’d better get some practice in while you still can. I have a feeling the Europeans might be here by tonight,” Luhan said, shaking Baekhyun’s shoulder. Baekhyun stood up silently again, still rubbing his eyes and grabbed Sehun’s hand. “Baby, you can take me out anytime,” he mumbled at Sehun.

Sehun looked at him in disgust, but they stalked off together for some blood and then practice. Jongdae took Baekhyun’s seat, one hand over his eyes like he was going through a very bad hangover.

“I spoke to one of Kai’s generals, and they said that Yifan and his army will be here after midnight, dawn at best. Our army will try to hold them back, but it won’t last,” Luhan said to Kyungsoo.

“How’s Suho?” Kyungsoo asked. Luhan smiled a bit. “He’s up and about now. The nurses say he’s not fit to fight because his bones haven’t set it nicely yet but knowing him, he’ll probably want to join in on the fight anyway.”

“That’s actually great to hear,” Kyungsoo blinked. Having Suho in the battlefield would certainly be good; he had seen him fight before, and although Kyungsoo didn’t know much about combat, he could tell that Suho was very skilled and thus highly valuable as a soldier.

“Do you think he’ll be fine by tonight?” Kyungsoo asked, seeing stars surrounding Luhan. Luhan shrugged in reply, and the stars shivered above him. “Depends. The nurse won’t let him out of the room till he’s completely healed, so I can’t really say.”

Kyungsoo felt floaty like a soft cloud suspended in the sky as Luhan spoke. _It must be the tea_ , he thought, feeling very light but strangely energetic. Luhan was saying something about Suho and how his combat skills were to die for, but Kyungsoo couldn’t seem to concentrate on what Luhan was saying; they were intangible, sifting through his thoughts as they were spoken. 

“Kyungsoo, are you high on something? It’s very rude of you not to share,” Luhan said, squinting at him when he noticed the dreamy look in his eyes.

Kyungsoo tried to look at him seriously, although it was hard to do that when his eyes kept focusing in and out of Luhan. “It’s the tea, I think,” he mumbled. Luhan’s eyes lit up, and he pulled the pot of tea towards himself. “How much did you drink?” he asked, checking to see how much of the tea was left.

“Three cups I think,” Kyungsoo said.  

“Well. You’re gonna be feeling this high for at least another eight hours then,” Jongdae commented.

“I guess that’s good, right? Let me have another cup so that I can face Yifan,” Kyungsoo said, reaching for the pot. Luhan pulled it away from him. “Don’t be selfish. We have to share it with everyone. Besides, any more than 3 cups and you’ll hit the ground. Jongdae, I’ll pour you a cup regardless of the fact that it will have no effect on you,” Luhan said, pouring the tea out into a small porcelain cup.

“Yixing?” Luhan held the pot out at him. “I’ll have one. We’re gonna need it,” Yixing nodded.

“Well. Can I wait for Jongin then? He’ll be back soon, right?” Kyungsoo asked no one in particular. He got up to his feet and left the hall, hearing Luhan faintly protesting behind him.

“I don’t need a babysitter!” Kyungsoo yelled back at him. Servants flew past him as he made his way to the main entrance of the castle; he couldn’t really remember what he was worried about anymore, but there was a sense of urgency to see Jongin.

 _I want to see him_ , Kyungsoo thought. _Before I lose him._

Then he stopped in his tracks. Why would he lose Jongin? _Weird thought_ , Kyungsoo noted. Must be the tea. Kyungsoo pretended not to hear Luhan calling at him, hiding in corners whenever Luhan came close.

He reached the gardens after speed walking his way there, having successfully evaded Luhan. There were several groups of people entering the castle, admiring the place with awe. They were carrying bulky chests and bags with them, and they gaped at Kyungsoo too.

 _Is there something on my face?_ Kyungsoo thought, feeling self conscious. “Pleasure to meet you, sire!” a little girl waved at him cheerfully. Her mother shushed her at once, but he waved back anyway. There was no harm in being friendly, surely—

Someone crashed into him from behind, interrupting his thoughts. “Kyungsoo! Don’t you dare go around the castle unattended!” Luhan’s voice hissed in his ear. Kyungsoo smacked him crossly on the wrist. “Like I said, Luhan, I don’t need a fucking babysitter—”

“Don’t be full of yourself, Kyungsoo, Kai just doesn’t want you to be alone ‘cause Yifan might pay you a hologram visit again,” Luhan replied him.

“Then when can I have my private time?” Kyungsoo whined. He knew he was being ridiculous, but that didn’t stop him from trying to escape Luhan’s grip. What if he wanted to dance again?

“Never. Not till Kai thinks it’s safe, so just put up with it. I could be banging Sehun as well—”

“Do not continue your sentence,” Kyungsoo warned him. “There. You’re acting like yourself again. Let’s go to the gardens now,” Luhan smiled cheerfully, linking arms with him. Kyungsoo curled his lip at Luhan in annoyance.

“I don’t like you,” he muttered. Luhan held a hand to his heart. “I knew you loved me from the moment we met,” he sighed.

They ambled into the gardens, sitting on a stone bench. Luhan refused to let go of Kyungsoo (“What if you run away again?”) and that made him surly, at best. They watched groups of people scampering towards the castle slowly, nodding politely at the both of them when they passed. Soon the halls of the castle would be full, Kyungsoo knew, and he wondered if Jongin was capable of holding the fort down long enough to save all these people from death.

Kyungsoo made Luhan tell him everything about Yifan’s progress so far, and learned that Yifan was going to be late, but had already sent his army ahead, casting a very powerful shield over them to allow them to walk in the Sun. Apparently, magical sunscreen was a hassle to cast, but a magical umbrella that protected the vampires from the Sun was much easier, and less tiring.

 “Do you think we’ll survive this war, Luhan? Seriously?” Kyungsoo asked. “I told you awhile ago. Of course we’ll win. There’s no way we won’t win,” he said nonchalantly.

“Luhan, did Jongin tell you anything about his plan on keeping me extra safe but still putting me out in the battlefield?”

Luhan pursed his lips. “He actually said that he was going to do everything and anything to keep you out of the way. Does that answer your question?”

Kyungsoo blinked at him, waiting for the outburst of anger within him, but there was nothing. Some kind of tea Yixing gave him.

 “Why did he say that? I _want_ to help you guys,” Kyungsoo stated.  Luhan smiled and opened his mouth to say something.

But no sound came out of his throat. Just as the first word formed on the tip of his tongue, he whipped his head to the right abruptly, looking at the steady stream of people. He squinted into the distance, watching the trees carefully. “What’s wrong, Luhan?” Kyungsoo asked, tensing up from Luhan’s nervous expression. Something wasn’t right.

“There’s… something doesn’t smell right,” Luhan said, echoing Kyungsoo’s thoughts. He stood up slowly, keeping his eyes on the trees. “Kyungsoo, get these people out of the way,” Luhan ordered.

“Do it now!” Luhan shouted without looking at him, before a distant, chilling scream echoed through the trees. Luhan ran towards the direction from where the scream came from, shouting and waving at people to hurry to the castle. Kyungsoo took his cue and began ushering people into the castle through the French doors urgently.

The ones still near the trees started running as well, afraid of something they couldn’t see behind them. Luhan was still running into the distance, a tiny dot in a sea of green.

“What’s wrong, mummy?” Kyungsoo heard a boy ask his mother. “Hush, boy, it’s the Europeans. Hurry along,” she nudged him forward. “Please hurry, guys. We might not be safe out here,” Kyungsoo urged the people.

Many still looked like they were in disbelief that something would attack them this close to the castle, but then Kyungsoo saw it. The trees in the distance started crashing down, something menacing lurking the trees.

Luhan Phased, growling at everyone so that they would hurry up.

A servant appeared at the French doors suddenly and spoke to the people seriously, and they started to move along rapidly, pushing into the castle. She tried to handle the situation while Kyungsoo waved at people, watching Luhan from afar.

The last of the people were out of the trees, carrying a bleeding man between four people, and Luhan started prowling around the edge of the woods, growling loudly. Kyungsoo bit his lip, wondering if it was a spying vampire or a European wolf. Either one, it made him uneasy to think that they were brave enough to come close to the castle.

Luhan growled one last time, before Kyungsoo’s unspoken question was answered as a wolf with red eyes and dark, matted fur burst out of trees, lunging for Luhan’s neck. Those who were close to them screamed, and that made everyone nervous as they turned to see who it was, before they shuddered and squeezed their way into the castle.

“Sire, you have to come in,” the servant urged him. “No, I’m not leaving Luhan alone,” he replied, making his way down the steps. The crowds were still too slow towards the end of the line because they were burdened with the man’s body and their own belongings, and Kyungsoo made a noise in his throat of frustration.

“Faster, everyone! Get into the castle now,” he shouted, running towards them to help.

Luhan fought against the wolf viciously, fur flying into the air like feathers. He bit on the wolf’s leg and coughed out its blood into its face, blinding it momentarily. Luhan pushed it back into the trees, blood dotting his pure white fur.

Kyungsoo reached the bleeding man and his sobbing family just as the wolf howled angrily, kicking back on its hind legs and knocking Luhan off his feet. Kyungsoo was dangerously close to the scene, but he tried to blend in; he wasn’t sure if Yifan had trained all of his wolves to sniff him out, but he didn’t want to take any chances either.

He told the injured man’s family that he was there to help, and he carried two duffel bags on his back, urging them to hurry. The man was bleeding profusely from his head and shoulder, trailing blood on the grass.

Luhan got up in frustration, barking at the wolf like some kind of demented poodle before he bared his teeth and lunged at the wolf, aiming for the neck. Kyungsoo could hear whimpers and see blood spattering all over the place as they struggled against each other before the European wolf was lifted up into the air all of a sudden.

Kyungsoo gasped in surprise. He turned to see whose work it was, spotting Sehun at the gardens, hands glowing with a white light. Baekhyun stood beside him, asking him something while twiddling his thumbs. Sehun rolled his eyes and replied him, whatever it was, before the wolf started to struggle midair, trying to bite Luhan’s ear off.

Luhan trotted away from it, shaking the blood off his fur coolly. Sehun kept a firm hold on the wolf, lifting it higher into the air and moving it above the trees. Baekhyun held up his hands as well, and Kyungsoo watched as Baekhyun’s started to glow like Sehun’s, his gaze fixed on the wolf.

He yelled something that Kyungsoo couldn’t hear, and Luhan responded, picking up Kyungsoo by his collar, dragging him away from the wolf.

“Luhan, what—Put me down!” he protested, wanting to see what Baekhyun was going to do. It was bound to be interesting if Sehun actually allowed him to deal with the wolf, and he tried to look up at the wolf floating in the air.

“Luhan, put me down!” Kyungsoo repeated, before Luhan did drop him onto the grass on his back, and standing tall over him. He was about to jab Luhan out of the way, but then there was a loud pop above him, and Luhan leaned his head over Kyungsoo as lumps started to fly through the air.

“What the—“

Something landed beside Kyungsoo, having bounced off of Luhan. He stared at the small, round bloody thing before he realized it was an eyeball from the wolf. Kyungsoo squealed, pushing at Luhan’s big head. “Get off me, get off me, oh my god, get _off_ —”

Luhan made a laughing, wheezing noise at Kyungsoo’s expression. A drizzle of blood floated down to the top of the trees, the wolf having exploded into pieces thanks to Baekhyun. Luhan stepped away from Kyungsoo, letting him get to his feet. “That was _so_ nasty,” Kyungsoo said, brushing grass off his clothes.

An eagle cried out somewhere above them, flying through the red haze of blood and making its way to Sehun and Baekhyun. Kyungsoo tried to clean himself up, and slowly made his way through the wolf’s entrails; intestines, liver, a bleeding heart…

Sehun called something out at them, and he looked up, not wanting to look at what else had landed around them. Baekhyun was cheering for himself and harassing the people who still hadn’t entered the castle yet, while Sehun tried to say something to Luhan and Kyungsoo, the eagle that had flown above him perched on his shoulder.

Luhan nodded and he looked at Kyungsoo, gesturing with his head to get on his back. Luhan bent forward on his front legs to allow Kyungsoo to mount him back, and Kyungsoo clung to the clean parts of Luhan’s fur as he tried to get up, holding on tightly as he adjusted himself onto Luhan’s back. He was a bit bonier than Jongin, and he distinctly felt Luhan’s spinal bones poke him up his ass.

Luhan lopped to the castle, making Kyungsoo bounce unnecessarily on his back. Kyungsoo pinched Luhan’s flesh in return on purpose, but he didn’t seem to feel anything, arriving at the castle gardens in mere seconds.

“Kai sent us an eagle, Kyungsoo,” Sehun said to Kyungsoo before he even got down from Luhan’s back.

The eagle cawed at Kyungsoo, eyeing him curiously. “What, he instant messaged you through this bird?” Kyungsoo asked. Sehun nodded gravely, holding a small piece of paper in his hand. “It’s for you,” Sehun held out the paper to Kyungsoo.

“Oh?” He took the small rolled up piece of paper from Sehun, unrolling it as Baekhyun edged closer to read it with him. Luhan didn’t seem to care, going up to Sehun and rubbing himself all over Sehun to clear the blood off of his fur.

“Kyungsoo, ask the servants to lead you into the North Tower. Stay in there, and do not come out, under any circumstances. Love, Jongin,” Kyungsoo read out loud.

“I’m not staying in no goddamn tower—”

“He already informed us to keep you safe should anything get out of hand, Kyungsoo, and I strongly believe you should be kept out of harm’s way. He wouldn’t have sent this if he could handle the wolves. It must be worse than we thought,” said Sehun.

“No. I don’t want to be locked up in some bell tower like Rapunzel just because he thinks he wants me out of the way. What if Yifan sniffs me out and tries to attack me in the tower? Who will help me?” Kyungsoo demanded.

“Minseok has already been assigned to stay in the tower with you. The room has already been stocked with food, weapons should anything happen…”

“It’s basically Jongin’s panic room,” Kyungsoo said flatly. Sehun looked uncomfortable under Kyungsoo’s hard gaze. “In the end, I’m only obeying my orders,” he said weakly. Kyungsoo shook his head.

“He promised me that I would be in the battlefield to help you guys. When the vampires see me, they’ll try to attack me for sure, and it makes things easier for all of you,” Kyungsoo insisted.

“Yes, but if Yifan is one of the vampires, or if there’s not enough soldiers to keep them at bay, you could die,” Baekhyun said.

“I still think it’s a damn good idea. You _know_ Tao or Yifan will be ready to tear me into pieces. One of you guys can just take Tao out,” Kyungsoo said. “It’s not that simple,” Sehun sighed. A Portal appeared beside them, and Jongdae and Yixing stepped out of it. “Did you guys get the message from Kai?” Yixing asked.

Sehun nodded at him, and looked back at Kyungsoo. “He’s reluctant to follow, however.”

“Damn right, I’m reluctant,” Kyungsoo folded his arms. Jongdae kept the Portal open for some reason, staring at all of them. “Well, you heard what Kai said yesterday. Get on with it then,” he said. Sehun dropped his gaze from Kyungsoo, waving Luhan over.

Luhan trotted to him happily. “What? What did Kai say yesterday?”

No one answered. Baekhyun looked baffled as well, looking to Yixing for an answer. Yixing lifted his shoulders and his hands up in surrender. “Wasn’t my idea.”

It wasn’t until Luhan approached Kyungsoo and bit him lightly on the shoulder that he realized what was about to happen. “Oh no, you’re not putting me in there,” he said, trying to resist Luhan’s strength. Sehun came over to help, and lifted Kyungsoo’s legs up, hauling him towards the Portal.

Kyungsoo kicked and smacked at Luhan’s jaw, trying to break free from them as they moved to the Portal. Jongdae widened it for them while Baekhyun rushed around them and tried to stop Luhan.

“Hey, this is kinda inhumane, don’t you think? For Christ’s sake, Luhan, put Kyungsoo down,” he protested, but they paid him no mind.

“We’re going to put Chanyeol in as well, so don’t worry about company,” Jongdae told Kyungsoo. “Tell Jongin he’s a piece of shit, and I hate him!” Kyungsoo shouted.

“Nah, I don’t think you mean that,” Jongdae laughed. “Look, we just really need you out of the way. In all honesty, I was up for the bait plan, but if you die, Kyungsoo,” Sehun said. “If you die, then Kai won’t be the same anymore. And Luhan clearly isn’t fit for a kingdom.”

Luhan exhaled through his nose somewhat angrily, tossing Kyungsoo through the Portal. Sehun sliced open another Portal as well, and pulled a surprised Chanyeol through it.

“Here’s your company, Kyungsoo. Take care of each other. Don’t freak out about how there’s no windows, it’s for your safety,” Sehun said, pushing Chanyeol through Jongdae’s Portal. Chanyeol crashed onto the bed in the room, while Kyungsoo wasn’t so lucky. He hit the ground on his arm, applying pressure on a bruise and he hissed loudly. Baekhyun tried to help them, reaching for them with his hands, but Luhan pushed him away, growling at him.

“All right, fellas. Holler if there’s anything wrong,” Jongdae waved. He snapped his fingers, and just like that, the Portal dissolved before Kyungsoo’s eyes.

Chanyeol looked questioningly at Kyungsoo, helping him to get up. “Jongin had us locked up. For safety,” Kyungsoo added, getting to his feet.

“I didn’t even bring my iPod,” Chanyeol said wondrously. “And we’re going to be sitting ducks here, just waiting for Yifan to spot us out,” Kyungsoo said, sitting on the bed beside Chanyeol.

“Big place though,” Chanyeol remarked. Kyungsoo looked around; it was a round room, with no windows as Sehun had said, two beds pushed up against one wall. There was a rectangle cut out between the beds, but thick iron bars stood between Kyungsoo and escape.

Wind blew through the rusty iron bars, and when he looked out he realized that there were in the high tower, south of the castle. Somewhere below him in the tower, there was a bell, and if they ever rang it, he would definitely be the first to know (also the first to go deaf).

A chest with all sorts of weapons stuffed into it stood by the other bed, and there was a small chest of food as well. Two doors were erected across the beds, and Kyungsoo went up to one of them to see if Minseok was really there. No doubt the door would be locked from outside, since there was no knob from his side of the door.

“Minseok?” he knocked on one of the doors. The door creaked open, and it was a toilet. He moved to the other door and pushed it; it was locked. He rapped the door thrice, calling Minseok’s name.

“Kyungsoo?” his muffled voice came through the door. “Oh thank God. Minseok, let me out,” Kyungsoo said.

“Kai told us you’d say that,” he replied dryly. “I hate Jongin now, so it’s ok to let me out.”

“That’s not a valid reason, Kyungsoo.” Chanyeol didn’t even bother trying to escape, just sat at the bed admiring the bird’s eye view of Lycanfort.

“Please let me go, Minseok,” Kyungsoo pleaded.

“I can’t do that, and you know it.”

Kyungsoo gave up. There was everything he needed here, company, food, a toilet, a bed, weapons. All he needed was Jongin, so he could strangle him for lying to him. “I can’t believe he got them to do this to us,” Kyungsoo muttered angrily. Chanyeol nodded silently in support.

“It’s for your safety,” Minseok said through the door. Kyungsoo threw his shoe at the door. “I hate you too,” Kyungsoo said, no real venom in his tone.  

“When did he tell you about this?” Kyungsoo sulked. “Last night. Was quite adamant about it, too. He didn’t want any argument from anyone, and insisted on putting you in there no matter what.”

If Kyungsoo had known, he would’ve beat Jongin up and returned the bracelet back to him. It glittered at him on his wrist, making him feel angry. Kyungsoo took it off and placed on the bed beside him, refusing to wear it even though he knew Jongin wouldn’t have known he had taken it off.

The rest of the afternoon, Kyungsoo sat by the iron bars, catching faint sounds of Baekhyun practicing and talking loudly to someone. Every once in a while he would hear thunder and the skies would darken, but no rain fell no matter how dark and grey the clouds looked.

The wind kept picking up and slowing down as well, and Kyungsoo suspected it was Sehun’s work. Luhan had mentioned that he could control the wind, causing drafts to blow through the castle even when the trees outside were still.

Chanyeol snacked on beef jerky while they sat in their prison in silence, waiting for time to pass. Kyungsoo helped himself to the jerky as well, wondering if he was going to be in here for a long time.

*

Night came painfully slow. Kyungsoo waited anxiously each hour in the tower for Jongin’s arrival, or the vampires. Neither came, and all was peaceful outside.

He laid down on his own bed, still looking out of the iron bars and drawing lazy circles on his leg while Chanyeol napped on the other bed. Nothing happened for a long time, except for darkness blanketing Lycanfort. Kyungsoo wondered if Minseok had something to do to pass his time outside; he was awfully quiet.

Then after fifteen minutes of drawing the same circle on his thigh till his fingertip was numb, the bell rang loudly beneath Kyungsoo. It was deafening as Kyungsoo expected it to be, and woke the entire castle up; he could feel people bracing themselves for the vampires. Finally, they were here.

Kyungsoo couldn’t see anything different from the iron bars because it wasn’t facing the town, and neither was it facing the main entrance of the castle, so he couldn’t tell what was going on. But Minseok could probably see what was happening since he was on the other side of the tower. Chanyeol woke up, startled.

“What happened?” he asked.

“They’re here. The bell’s only rung in emergencies,” Kyungsoo told him. Chanyeol sat up, rubbing his face. “Do you see anything outside?” he asked.

Kyungsoo shook his head. Chanyeol peered out of the iron bars to see if anything was happening, while Kyungsoo got up and knocked on the door. “Minseok, do you see anything on your side of the tower?”

There was a bump, and Minseok answered him, “Yes. Jongdae placed a spell on the tower so that the vampires can’t see it, but I can see everything just fine. There’s a sea of red eyes glowing in the trees, and it’s eerie to see… The smell of magic is heavy in the air as well.”

Kyungsoo shivered. “What’s everyone doing now?”

Minseok had no chance to reply; a great roar of a thousand voices and a high pitched squeal filled the air, rendering the gong of the bell into silence.

“It begins,” Minseok said softly through the door.

Kyungsoo could imagine wolves and vampires fighting now, the scene playing out in his head like how Luhan tried to kill the European wolf. It was a battle to death, and Kyungsoo couldn’t bear to think how many would die before the night was over, both Europeans and wolves.

“Kai is in the battlefield now!” Minseok said excitedly. “He’s searching for someone… Yifan, it must be. But he’s not here, I can tell from up here. There’s only Tao raging through the wolves—”

“Tao is here?” Kyungsoo said in disbelief. Chanyeol continued to look out of the iron bars curiously, the sounds of war reaching their ears, although they couldn’t see anything.

“Yes. He’s doing a great job of wiping out our soldiers,” Minseok said, voice dripping with poison. Kyungsoo was surprised to hear Minseok speak ill of someone. He had always been good natured. _War changes people_ , Kyungsoo thought.

Then there was a shout that sounded like it came from below the iron bars while Kyungsoo was asking Minseok about the fight. Chanyeol waved at Kyungsoo to come over and he did, hurrying over to get a glimpse of the war with his own eyes.

Ten wolves were backed up to their side of the tower by six vampires. Kyungsoo noticed the Europeans had no swords, but soon realized they had no need of them; they started opening up Portals quickly with small blades and keeping them open to shove the wolves through.

 “They’re pushing them into Europe,” Kyungsoo gasped, looking through the Portal and realizing he was looking at the city of Europe, lit up like a Las Vegas casino.

A group of vampires stood waiting for the wolves on the other side of the Portal, and an unlucky werewolf was shoved through the Portal by a vampire in black. They sniggered at the yelping wolf, and the last thing Kyungsoo saw before the Portal closed shut was the sight of vampires tearing the wolf apart, blood spurting on the ground.

In the end, nine out of ten wolves were either killed or thrown into Europe, and only one survived with its body slashed into bloody ribbons, lying down on its side to wait for death. The six vampires were barely hurt, and they hurried back to the front of the tower to continue the fight. Blood soaked into the grass below, a dark puddle of death.

“Minseok, are we winning?” Kyungsoo asked weakly. Chanyeol shivered, and not from the cold.

“It’s even, I think. Some of the vampires on our side are making Portals to save some of our wolves, but some of them are too late.”

Kyungsoo heard glass breaking faintly from afar, and his heart skipped a beat. “Has the castle been infiltrated?” Chanyeol asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

“No, a dead vampire was thrown through the glass doors is all. Guess who did it,” Minseok said dryly.

“Tao.”

“He’s vicious, I tell you. He’s made for Yifan, I’m sure.”

The fight went on for what seemed like hours. There were blood curdling screams, swords clashing with one another, thunder crashing in the sky and loud, incomprehensible yells from different voices. Kyungsoo tried to make out Jongin’s voice, tried to imagine what he would do in the heat of the moment, but he couldn’t picture it. He hoped that Jongin was fine, and that he wouldn’t be the sacrifice.

“Minseok, what if a vampire flies into the air and crashes into the tower?” Kyungsoo asked after a long silence.

“Only royal vampires can fly, and I assure you, we would know if they’re here. They’re going to drag the battle out and wear Kai down before they arrive.”

“Oh.” Chanyeol looked at the door and said, “How’s Baekhyun holding up?”

Kyungsoo had almost forgotten about Baekhyun. He felt panic bubbling up in his chest at the thought of his best friend trying to fight off vampires, the same guy who could hardly keep his eyes awake only a few hours ago.

“He’s doing well, actually. Sehun, Jongdae and Baekhyun are guarding the main entrance of the castle. They’ve kept all the vampires and European wolves at bay so far, and everyone inside the castle is safe. You would be proud to see it,” Minseok replied Chanyeol.

Kyungsoo fist bumped Chanyeol half-heartedly. He never thought that Baekhyun would be a good fighter, but maybe Baekhyun was more than he thought. He knew Baekhyun would never go down without a fight under any circumstances, and decided to trust in his abilities. He did, after all, make a wolf explode into pieces.

“Do you think Yifan will be able to see through Jongdae’s spell over the tower?” Kyungsoo asked. Minseok seemed to think about it. “He might. I’ve heard that royal vampires can see the flaws in every aristocrat’s spell, but Jongdae’s not a bad spell caster. Perhaps the spell will hold, and Yifan will never find us.”

Kyungsoo didn’t really believe that it would go down like that so easily.

After a while, Kyungsoo yawned. His brain wasn’t tired, still picturing what the fight looked like in front of the castle, but his eyes were sore and teary from staring out the iron bars for so long. Maybe a nap would do him good, since there was nothing else to do in the room.

“Are you tired?” Chanyeol asked. Kyungsoo nodded, sitting up on his bed and leaning his back on the wall behind him. “You sleep. I’ll take watch,” Chanyeol told him.

“Take watch of what?”

“In case something happens on this side of the tower,” Chanyeol said. He opened up the chest between them, pulling out a bag of beef jerky and taking one for himself. “What if Yifan sees through the spell? Minseok can’t warn us about anything if it’s happening on this side,” Chanyeol said. He had a point; what if the spell malfunctioned? Yifan would have no problem seeing the tower from afar.

“I wonder how long we’ve been gone from our world,” Kyungsoo murmured, closing his eyes.

“Not too long, hopefully. I still want to see my sister, and my parents…” Chanyeol trailed off. Kyungsoo wondered how Baekhyun’s parents would be once they found out Baekhyun was a vampire. _Or maybe they won’t ever have to know_ , Kyungsoo thought.

But Baekhyun was close to his family, Kyungsoo knew. It would hurt both parties if they were separated, and everyone in the Pureblood world feared Tainted beings. There was no way they would accept Baekhyun as a vampire. A tear slid down Kyungsoo’s cheek as lucid thoughts and dreams swirled around his head.

He didn’t know if it was a tear shed in sorrow, or a tear shed in hope.

Wolves and vampires danced in his dreams, blood showering down on them like a drizzling rain. There were two wolves with white fur, and Kyungsoo tried to pick out Jongin, but couldn’t manage to concentrate hard enough. The white wolves danced away from Kyungsoo, and he chased them around a field in endless circles, their tails ever swishing out of his grasp.

 

Kyungsoo couldn’t remember what he was dreaming about when he heard a strange sound in his head. It sounded like wings flapping slowly in the wind, and it made him think of birds migrating in autumn to warmer countries. He could picture birds flying in a V shape, flying into the sunset to another part of the world, flying in search of another summer someplace else.

“Kyungsoo…” Chanyeol’s voice echoed in his head. What was Chanyeol doing in his bird dream?

“Go away,” he muttered, turning on his side. Kyungsoo didn’t feel up to waking up just yet. There was something that he didn’t want to see in the real world, something that made him want to dream just a little longer…

“There’s something flying outside, or some _things_. Minseok, do you see it?” Chanyeol was saying.

“It’s birds,” Kyungsoo mumbled. There was a muffled crash, and Kyungsoo wondered if Minseok had been dreaming as well. Minseok didn’t reply Chanyeol right away, and Kyungsoo slipped back into lucidity for a moment.

“Shit! They’ve seen us! Guards—”

A high pitched scream reached Kyungsoo’s ears, hitting notes that only dogs could hear. He shot up in bed, covering his ears in pain. Kyungsoo opened his eyes to see what it was, his vision throbbing as he felt his ears threaten to rip apart. The floodgates of his memories opened, and he immediately looked out of the iron bars for any sign of Yifan.

In the darkness, Kyungsoo could see strange figures with wings flying towards the tower. He couldn’t tell what they were, but he could tell they were the ones making the high pitched noise in his ears. The door crashed open behind him, and Minseok’s voice was muted as he spoke, but he could make out the words on his lips.

“Get out of here.”

Kyungsoo put down one hand to reach for the sword by the door, and Chanyeol did the same before they rushed out of the room. Minseok slammed the door closed behind them, and Kyungsoo blinked, looking around the tower. A staircase spiralled down to the ground, two wolves waiting for Kyungsoo at the bottom of the stairs. The high pitched sound in his ears wasn’t so bad now, blocked out enough so that he could hear Minseok say, “They’re on our side. Get out of the tower before they tear it down.”

Kyungsoo and Chanyeol rushed down the stairs, Minseok protecting them from the back. As they descended, Kyungsoo could hear the high pitched sound again, this time much louder than when he was in the room. “Chanyeol, did you bring your earphones?” Kyungsoo asked, wincing at the noise in his ears.

He nodded furiously, digging into his pocket as he went down two steps at a time. Chanyeol produced a pair of earphones, and tossed it to Kyungsoo. “What about you?” Kyungsoo asked, calves burning with cramps.

“I’m not the one who’s going to fulfil the prophecy. I’ll be fine,” Chanyeol smiled. Kyungsoo blinked at him. “Thanks, Yeol. I never got around to saying that,” Kyungsoo panted. Minseok urged them along to hurry before the winged creatures toppled the tower over, and Kyungsoo obeyed, putting on the earphones.

At the bottom of the stairs, he mounted one of the wolves at once, and Chanyeol did the same. Minseok swung the heavy doors in front of them open, and the two wolves rushed out. Minseok abandoned them, Phasing and running ahead first, presumably to join the fight. They passed dead bodies littering the ground, both wolves and vampires alike.

Kyungsoo’s breath was taken away when he looked up at the sky; the blue velvet of the night was blocked out by the winged creatures flying around the castle, the image unnatural in its own right. Kyungsoo looked away, and he saw that the wolf was rushing to the gardens to get Kyungsoo safely inside the castle.

He could see Baekhyun now, holding his hands streaked with blood up, and shouting something loudly. Light burst forth from his hands, shooting up into the sky. Small orbs of light appeared from the beams of light, floating around the battlefield. All of the vampires hissed at the orbs of light; even Sehun and Jongdae looked away, but it didn’t seem to hurt Baekhyun.

Kyungsoo thought the orbs of light looked very much like the ones he had seen in his dreams when Jongin had summoned him, gentle and bringing hope to the wolves, giving them light to see by. _This must be his own power_ , Kyungsoo realized. It was befitting; Baekhyun had always been a bright and sunny person.

Suddenly, the wolf below Kyungsoo buckled with a howl. Kyungsoo shot forward, sliding off its back and he twisted to land on his back. In doing so, he accidentally looked up at the sky again, and he was horrified to see one of winged creatures not twenty feet away from him wielding a bow and arrow.

With Baekhyun’s light, he could see its face, and it was nothing short of terrifying. It had slanted eyes and a small triangle cut into his face for a nose, and a mouth gaping wide open, rows of jagged, yellow teeth lining the inside of its mouth. But the worst part was when Kyungsoo realized that this was a royal vampire in its true form, its entire body and wings covered with a leathery texture sort of skin, looking like a brown, demonic pterodactyl.

Kyungsoo swung his sword in front of him instinctively as he crashed into the ground, and the vampire flew away from him, rising back up into the sky with a cry.

So it wasn’t Yifan then. Chanyeol’s wolf was still fine, and Kyungsoo yelled at him to get into the castle in case he got hurt. The wolf didn’t look at him, but he saw it going through the broken French doors, and he could breathe, just a tiny bit in relief that Chanyeol was safe.

Back sore, he got to his feet and tried to spot Baekhyun out. The wolf that was carrying him a moment ago lay dead at his feet, an arrow sticking out of its chest. He had to get out of the area before Tao or Yifan spotted him, and—

“Kyungsoo!” Someone yelled at him from the battlefield. “ _Kyungsoo_!”

 _Jongin_ , he thought, recognizing the voice anywhere. He squinted at the wolves and vampires fighting one another in front of him, and saw Jongin rushing towards him. “Get into the castle! Don’t stay out in the open!” he screamed. There was blood all over his face and arms as he tried to climb the steps to Kyungsoo, but a European collided into him from the left, distracting him effectively.

Kyungsoo’s heart beat like a drum in his chest as he decided to ignore Jongin’s warning. He turned around and started running towards Jongdae, the closest ally he could see, to see if there was anything he could do to help. Some of the winged creatures tried to hinder him, flying right into his face before ascending back up into the sky. But none of them touched him; he was only alive right now because of Yifan.

“Jongdae!” Kyungsoo yelled. Jongdae turned around, locking swords with a vampire. He grunted, before pushing the vampire forward, summoning thunder with his left hand and striking the vampire down in two seconds flat. The vampire lay among the flowerbeds, its body charred black.

“Kyungsoo! Get out of the way!” Jongdae said to him, before he moved onto a spitting European wolf, stalking Jongdae slowly. Kyungsoo wanted to roll his eyes. Gruesome as it was to be here, he didn’t want to be hiding in the castle, waiting for Yifan to find him.

He saw a vampire with severed arms trying to sink its teeth into someone, and Kyungsoo brought down his sword on it with a grunt, shutting his eyes as blood sprayed everywhere.

Baekhyun turned around when he felt the spray of blood, and met Kyungsoo’s gaze. “Kyungsoo?” he said in disbelief. “Baek!” Kyungsoo said in utter surprise. He had forgotten that Baekhyun was still here, covered in grime and dried blood.

“How’d you get out of the tower?” Baekhyun asked, pulling on his arm and pushing Kyungsoo behind him when a European wolf lunged towards them. He hurled it aside with his vampire telekinesis, causing it to crash into a winged vampire in the air.

“Minseok let me out. Chanyeol’s safe by the way,” Kyungsoo informed him, chucking his sword into the chest of a vampire from the back. It fell into pieces like a jar made out of clay, collapsing to the ground when Kyungsoo slid his sword out.

“Good job. Don’t kill one of our own, though,” Baekhyun said.

“Which ones are with us?” Kyungsoo asked. “The ones with red ribbons around their wrists,” Baekhyun pointed at Sehun as an example, who was piling up dead bodies to burn them. A thin, red ribbon hung from his hand, and he saluted Kyungsoo when they exchanged glances.

“Oh shit, look at Tao—” Baekhyun gulped, leaving Kyungsoo’s side. He tried to see what Baekhyun was worried about, and spotted him battling Luhan in human form, practically wrestling with the fair skinned prince. Baekhyun rushed over to help, and Kyungsoo took Baekhyun’s place in guarding the castle, dragging any wolves he could see were still alive to the entrance of the castle for the nurses to handle.

He scanned his surroundings carefully, glancing up at the sky every so often to see if Yifan was among them. Where was Yifan, now that he was out in the open? Kyungsoo levelled the tip of his sword at any vampire who tried to come near him, but they all seemed to avoid him once they recognized him. None of them wanted to touch him, moving onto the next victim easily.

 Then Kyungsoo watched in disbelief as the high tower he had left suddenly crashing to the ground, and he saw the bell being caught by a few flying vampires. They flung it towards the battlefield, giggling as the large, heavy bell crushed a dozen wolves. Large pieces of rock landed on the ground, quaking the ground at Kyungsoo’s feet.

He was one step away from the castle, one step away from Eunyoung who had spotted him from the inside of the castle and was about to drag him in, her hair messed up and uniform stained with blood that was not her own, before he saw the winged creatures in the sky parting in the centre, making way above the trees.

Yifan had taken his time, and now he was finally here.

Kyungsoo stared up the sky, not daring to blink. The high pitched sound from the skies ceased, and the winged creatures stopped swooping around, keeping a distance from the battle below.

Kyungsoo stumbled over a rock, trying to hold his ground as Yifan materialized out of the night. Pulling his earphones out, Kyungsoo tossed them to the ground, holding his sword tightly.

Yifan’s true form was bone white, his features not very different from the rest of the winged creatures, but he was larger than the rest, his wings spread wide open like a butterfly. Yifan could see Kyungsoo despite the distance between them, gauging how long it would take to reach him.

Then he began to fly, angry red eyes fixated on Kyungsoo.

He knew what Yifan already had in mind, could guess as well as anyone and saw Jongin running towards him in wolf form, closing in on him as fast as he could. There was nothing else to do but begin to run as well. Yifan flew towards him with his claws out, arms outstretched to kill him the minute he laid hands on Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo regretted having tried to fend off the castle; he was too far away from Jongin now, and he didn’t know if he could make it.

Yifan’s wings flapped loudly as he pummelled through the air, getting closer to Kyungsoo.

“Jongin!” Kyungsoo cried, voice hoarse. Moving achingly slow, Kyungsoo leapt the last few steps, hoping to grab Jongin.

If he could just reach for Jongin’s fur, then maybe they would have a chance of fighting off Yifan together. If only Jongin knew that Tao was chasing him down, as Kyungsoo saw when he neared Jongin, then maybe he would’ve panicked, and it would’ve given him the last bit of energy to go faster. If only he was two feet closer to Jongin, maybe he wouldn’t be caught by Yifan, who was faster than any of them. If, if, if.

In a blink of an eye, Kyungsoo was snatched up by Yifan in midair, breath knocked out of his chest from the sheer force of crashing into his arms. Jongin tried to jump up to nip Kyungsoo down but was tackled by Tao from behind, who immediately tried to choke him with his arms. Jongin fell away from Kyungsoo, and he was left to defend himself.

Yifan’s claws pierced his shoulders as he gripped Kyungsoo tightly, spiralling up to the sky with Kyungsoo in tow. He rose to twenty feet in the air fairly quickly, cackling as Kyungsoo dangled helplessly from his iron grip. His wounds burned where Yifan’s claws were ice cold, a painful reminder that Yifan wanted Kyungsoo to suffer as much as possible before finishing him off.

 “Have you ever dreamed of flying, Kyungsoo?” Yifan asked cruelly, looking down at him while he soared into the stars, the Lycanfort castle shrinking beneath them. His eyes burned red like hot coals as he sniggered at Kyungsoo, twisting in the air and making Kyungsoo’s heart drop to his stomach. Yifan was uglier up close, and Kyungsoo made a face at his disgusting mouth.

 _Oh_ _well_ , Kyungsoo thought, trying to steel himself. At least the original plan was in motion now; he was bait, a distraction now for Yifan while someone could try to take Tao down at ground level. Remembering he still had his sword, Kyungsoo hacked at Yifan’s arm in reply, swinging it upwards recklessly and hoping to slice his skull open. He screamed in pain, releasing Kyungsoo and holding his injured arm.

Kyungsoo dropped through the air after a moment of suspension, free falling to the ground below him. “Sehun! Someone!” he yelled, closing his eyes and covering his face. He couldn’t fly on his own, but maybe someone else could help him.

A rush of air swept him up two heart stopping seconds later, and Kyungsoo felt something grip him around the waist, halting his tumble to death. He opened his eyes, and saw Sehun holding him up from a distance while Jongdae and another vampire covered him, fending off anyone who tried to attack Sehun.

“Do you fear death, boy?” Yifan’s voice rang loudly in the sky like thunder. Kyungsoo whipped his head to the right, eyes widening before he leaned backwards in time to avoid fire shooting out of Yifan’s mouth like a dragon. The heat made Kyungsoo’s skin sizzle, but he was given no warning when Yifan tugged him by the legs, digging his claws into Kyungsoo’s body once more. Kyungsoo yelled in pain, kicking Yifan’s body desperately.

“Not today,” Kyungsoo growled, trying to twist his sword around in his hand. Yifan knocked the sword out his hand instead, letting it drop down to the ground below them.

“I have dreamed of this for a long time, Kyungsoo. Your toothpick of a sword won’t change the prophecy,” he snarled at Kyungsoo. He started flying towards the castle, holding Kyungsoo out in front of him like a shield. Jongdae must’ve tried to summon thunder, because white hot bolts of lightning flashed around them as Yifan made his way to the castle.

They did not, however, fry Yifan as Kyungsoo might’ve hoped. He manoeuvred past bolts of lightning before they ever struck, a second earlier and always a step ahead from them. Kyungsoo struggled against Yifan’s hold and the wind, gripping Yifan’s arms tightly. “Don’t fight your destiny, boy. Die softly,” Yifan said, his red eyes glowing with glee.

Kyungsoo spat into his eyes and it made Yifan lose grip on him again. Kyungsoo couldn’t believe Yifan didn’t see that coming as he whipped through the wind to the ground once more. He didn’t think the same trick could work twice on the same person, but apparently it did. Baekhyun caught him in midair, slowing his descent to the ground.

Kyungsoo was about to give Baekhyun a quick thumbs up before Baekhyun suddenly lost grip on him, and Yifan caught Kyungsoo instead, poking holes into his chest.

Kyungsoo squinted to see how they were doing; Sehun and Jongdae were busy with three Europeans wolves trying to break into the castle. Minseok was nowhere to be seen on site, and Baekhyun had been stabbed through the stomach, but he was moving just fine, striking a vampire with his fist. Jongin had Tao pinned to the ground, but he didn’t have a weapon on him that could finish Tao off. They still needed more time.  

“Are you scared?” Yifan asked, disrupting Kyungsoo’s train of thought with a smile on his ugly mouth.

 _If they need time, then I’ll buy it_. “You’re nothing to be scared of,” Kyungsoo replied defiantly.

“Then you’re a fool, Kyungsoo, and you deserve to die,” Yifan said. Kyungsoo didn’t understand what he meant, but before he could think of it, Yifan crashed his skull painfully against a hard wall, holding him up thirty feet in the air as he pressed a hand on Kyungsoo’s throat. His feet tried to search for purchase, anything to balance on should Yifan decide to let go.

Kyungsoo could feel warm blood dripping down the back of his neck, and red covering both of his eyes as he struggled for breath. He could see his entire life flashing before his eyes; the first time he had ever seen Jongin, the first time he had kissed Jongin, and the first time he heard Jongin say ‘I love you.’

“Any last words?” Yifan said, pressing down on his throat even harder. His vision started to darken as his lungs strained for air. Kyungsoo had a horrible thought that maybe he was the sacrifice after all, and Yifan was always going to win this war, despite everything they had done to change the course of fate. Yifan’s veins glowed a bright orange under his white skin, summoning fire from within himself to burn Kyungsoo’s face off.

“I’m… sorry,” Kyungsoo choked out, his blood spattering on Yifan’s face. He cocked his head to one side, his veins ceasing to glow.

“Sorry? Sorry for being the weak Pureblood that you are?” Yifan spat. Kyungsoo shut his eyes, thinking of Jongin. His heartbeat slowed, the grip on his throat tightened even more.

_I love you, I’m sorry, goodbye._

Then he felt Yifan’s hand jolt around his throat. At first, he thought Yifan had decided to let him fall to the ground, and he slipped against the wall, gasping air into his lungs. His wobbly feet found a small ledge to stand on, surprisingly, and he opened his eyes warily.

Yifan was gripping his chest, his eyes turning black as his grip on Kyungsoo’s throat loosened. _What’s going on?_ Kyungsoo frowned. Yifan’s mouth formed an O as he struggled for breath, pain apparently gripping his chest like a vice. He looked down to the ground and he choked, a hand held out to someone below.

Kyungsoo glanced down as well, and saw that Baekhyun had pulled out the sword sticking out of him, using it to stake Tao’s heart as Jongin had held him down. _They did it_ , he thought.

Yifan released Kyungsoo, pushing away from him and staring at him blankly in shock. “No,” he whispered. Kyungsoo gripped the building with his fingers, pressing himself up against the castle and praying that he wouldn’t fall to his death below.

With each beat of Yifan’s wings, the face Kyungsoo came to recognize as Yifan’s appeared, his features sharpening and morphing. He floated down to the ground, wings turning into white robes hanging from around his shoulders.

Kyungsoo could see Tao’s body twitching from where he stood against the castle wall, blood pooling around him. Yifan sank down to the ground like an angel cast out of heaven, the astonishment on his face visible to everyone.

“Yifan,” Tao croaked, holding a trembling hand to Yifan. Yifan took it gently, and Jongin moved away from them as Yifan tried to lift him up, ghosting his hand over the sword in his heart. Cracks started appearing all over Tao’s body and face, his fingers falling away into pieces. His eyes were turning black as well, the red slowly being swallowed up by darkness.

***“ _Kjæreste, hva har de gjort mot deg?_ ” Yifan said, tears tinged in red pooling around his eyes _._

_“Dearest, what have they done to you?”_

“ _Brystet mitt gjør vondt,”_ Tao whispered, barely audible as blood dribbled down his chin. He was crying too, touching Yifan’s face.

_“My chest hurts.”_

Baekhyun’s little orbs of light floated gently around them, lending a dreamlike quality to everything Kyungsoo saw.

Tao coughed, and part of Tao’s face broke, tinkling musically as pieces of him dropped to the ground. He couldn’t hold himself up properly anymore, bending backwards in Yifan’s arms at an awkward angle.

“ _Tilgi meg, kjæreste. Jeg … jeg visste ikke at du måtte dø for meg å leve,” Yifan_ said, his cold façade breaking. He rocked Tao gently, tears dripping down onto his white robes while he brushed Tao’s hair away from his face.

_“Forgive me, dearest. I did not know you had to die for me to live.”_

He had truly loved Tao, as much as Jongin loved Kyungsoo, and for a moment, Kyungsoo felt sorry for him. Had there been any other way to stop Yifan, Kyungsoo desperately wanted to believe he would’ve avoided all this; he knew all too well how it felt to have hope taken away.

Tao tried to say something, his mouth opening up, but his jaw shattered before any words could form. Tao fell apart like a china doll, tiny pieces of him breaking till there was none of him left, shards of him scattered on the ground. All that was left was Tao’s bloody clothes in Yifan’s hands.

There was a sigh, and everyone stopped in their tracks. The winged creatures and vampires bowed their head, while wolves looked at each other, wondering what was going on.

Yifan clenched his fists, crouching unnaturally still among the sharp pieces of Tao’s body.

“God,” he breathed. “Why have you forsaken me?”

Jongdae, a quiet observer in the background, picked up a sword from the ground. Jongin glanced at him as he gave a questioning look, and turned around, pretending to see nothing.

He stepped up behind Yifan, covering his eyes gently. Yifan did not protest, and did not say anything else, closing his black eyes. Whether Yifan knew he was going to die wasn’t clear; Jongdae just placed the tip of the sword at his heart, muttering something to Yifan, “May God be with you.”

Jongdae drove the sword into his chest, the sound of china breaking loud in the air.

Yifan shattered before he ever hit the ground, and Kyungsoo shut his eyes, legs giving way and swaying forward into unconsciousness.

*

Voices faded in and out of Kyungsoo’s mind. Some sounded genuinely happy about someone being dead, while some were speaking in hushed tones, murmuring _I’m sorry_ and _I hope he gets well soon_.

 _Who died?_ Kyungsoo thought in a haze of confusion.

_Am I dead?_


	13. don't look away from the arms of love

Jongin raked a hand through his hair, sighing in frustration. The silence in his bedroom was heavy and palpable, weighing down on his shoulders as he leaned back in his chair.

It had been three days since the war ended, three days since Jongdae took revenge on Yifan for casting him out of Europe, and three days since Kyungsoo last opened his eyes.

Jongin couldn’t believe the risk Kyungsoo had taken to save his kingdom, that he had gone against his word and put himself out there for him. _For all of us_ , Jongin thought, shaking his head.

_And look at you now, my love. Why won’t you wake up?_

Jongin brushed his hair back gently, seated on a chair at his bedside. “My love,” he whispered. “The war is over. Please, can you wake up?”

Kyungsoo lay on his bed, not on the brink of death, but not awake either. His wounds were all healed up thanks to Sehun, his internal organs were fine, and the bracelet Jongin had given me still sat around his left wrist, but he still couldn’t understand why Kyungsoo wasn’t by his side, celebrating their victory. Had he known that Kyungsoo would slip into unconsciousness, he would have gladly exchanged places with Kyungsoo.

Jongin remembered when Kyungsoo fell from the castle, swaying precariously as his legs gave way beneath him. Jongin had cried out in fear, Phasing and running at the same time, but Sehun elbowed past him with his vampire speed just in time before he hit the ground and cracked his skull open on the stone path.

“He’s fine, Kai. He’s still breathing,” Sehun had said softly, putting him down on the ground gently. Nurses were immediately called to assess the damage done to his head, to start cleaning his wounds, but Jongin wanted none of it. He tugged Sehun aside and had told him in a low voice, “Fix him.” Whether or not Sehun could do it wasn’t an option.

As for the Europeans, they surrendered once their leader was dead. In European tradition, whoever killed the current King would be the next King, and since Tao was dead, there was no one to fight for the throne. Jongdae was now the reluctant ruler of Europe, sending almost every vampire back to Europe except for the aristocrats who had to stay behind and clear up the mess they had made out of Lycanfort. Jongdae offered to rebuild Lycanfort, the bell tower, every single village that had been burnt down, the broken French doors, and promised that the entire budget would be provided from Europe’s national fund.

Jongin approved, since it was time the vampires did some hard work and paid their dues. There were at least six Europeans working on the ruined castle gardens now, at Jongin’s request.

But Jongin didn’t really care what Jongdae did. He just wanted Kyungsoo back alive and well again, wanted to see him smile and feel his warmth, his touch. What was the point of Lycanfort and its throne when there was no one to share it with? He couldn’t picture it, the life it would be if there was no Kyungsoo in this world; there would be no sun, no moon and stars for him. Waiting for him to wake up was worse than when Kyungsoo left him. 

“It’s sunny outside now, my love. You would love it,” Jongin said softly, watching sunlight stream in from the windows and spill onto Kyungsoo’s peaceful face. There wasn’t so much as a twitch from Kyungsoo, and it made Jongin’s heart clench in fear and anxiety as he wondered how long it would take for him to open his eyes again.

“I miss you, love. More than I can say,” Jongin murmured, hoping Kyungsoo would hear. 

“Kai?”

Jongin turned around, and Luhan was standing at the door. “Is he awake yet?” he asked. Jongin shook his head, turning back to Kyungsoo. “You have to sleep sometime too, you know. Don’t you think Kyungsoo wouldn’t like it if you weren’t taking care of yourself?” Luhan chided him.

“I’ll take care of him and myself once he wakes up,” Jongin replied impatiently. Luhan, always such a meddler in others’ affairs. Jongin held Kyungsoo’s hand, waiting for him to squeeze his fingers like he always did, to soothe him with his words when he couldn’t do anything but worry.

Luhan sighed heavily. “Fine. But people are still waiting for you outside, Kai. Suho can’t be a party planner forever. The people need their King,” Luhan said pleadingly. Jongin shook his head stubbornly. “ _I_ need Kyungsoo.”

“He’ll wake up, Kai, soon enough. He’s not dead,” Luhan pointed out.

“I want to be here when he wakes up,” Jongin insisted. Luhan shut the door, and for a moment Jongin thought he had left, but when he heard his footfalls behind him, Jongin wanted to groan aloud in annoyance.

“I’m not going to pester you about leaving anymore,” Luhan said, going to the other side of the bed and sinking into the mattress beside Kyungsoo. Jongin tutted at him, rolling his eyes at Luhan. “No, I’m serious, brother. I just thought that I should… keep you company. And also let you know something about Kyungsoo,” Luhan smiled.

Jongin lifted an eyebrow at him. “Something about Kyungsoo?”

“Yeah. He… He’s not that fragile as you think, Kai, he’s—he’s just fine on his own, even if you’re not here to greet him when he wakes up. Kyungsoo gets it, you know. He knows that you’re a King, and you have responsibilities and he’s fine with it. I know it because Jongdae told me how he was in his own world, and he managed just fine without you.”

“I don’t—I don’t want to be away from him again. Kyungsoo doesn’t need me the way I need him, and I know that but—” Jongin sighed. “I want to be here for him. I won’t leave him alone even if he understands why I have to do it. Besides,” Jongin paused.

“Do you realize how little time I have with him, Luhan?” Jongin asked, eyes fixed on Kyungsoo.

“I do realize. Are you going to do anything about it?” Luhan replied.

Jongin shook his head vehemently. “No. _Never_. I will not interfere with his mortality.”

Luhan looked at him pitifully, leaning forward to reach out to him. “But brother, he’ll be gone before you even know it—” Jongin pulled away from Luhan’s touch.

“If he doesn’t survive the Turning, then I won’t even have any of him left. I won’t risk it,” Jongin said softly. Luhan didn’t answer him, looking at Kyungsoo thoughtfully. “You know, Baekhyun is thinking of Turning Chanyeol as well.”

“That’s their affair.”

“That’s not what I’m saying, Kai, I’m just—” Luhan stopped midsentence to breathe deeply. “Don’t you understand that Kyungsoo loves you too?” he said slowly.

Jongin looked up at Luhan. “We both do, brother, are you—”

“No, no, no, you listen to me! The reason why you’re here moping about over Kyungsoo’s unconscious body and why you won’t Turn Kyungsoo is that you don’t believe that he loves you. You know it, Kai, but you don’t _embrace_ it,” Luhan said, angry tears in his eyes. _Always the emotional one_ , Jongin thought absently.

“You’re not the only one who loves him, Kai. Baekhyun and I care about him, everyone in the castle cares, and the fact that you’re keeping him to yourself is just so _selfish_ ,” Luhan hissed, choking on his words. Jongin blinked at the vehemence in his words. “I’m not keeping him to myself, Luhan—”

“You are! Why else are you sitting here, waiting up for him to wake up when there’s a thousand people who need your attention? Don’t you see how Turning him makes it easier for all of us?!” Luhan almost shouted. He breathed heavily, finger pointed at Jongin.

Then all the hot air went out of him and he slumped on the bed. “And I thought I would do this calmly,” Luhan sighed, putting a hand to his forehead. “You’ve made me all sweaty now,” Luhan muttered.

“Can I speak?” Kai said hesitantly.

Luhan nodded. Jongin caressed Kyungsoo’s hand slowly, thinking about what Luhan had said.

“I do believe he loves me, Luhan. I do. It is the very reason why I don’t want him to Turn, because I know he would do it for me. I’m already trying to be selfless here, brother, don’t you see? I won’t let Kyungsoo change who he is for me,” Jongin said. “As for time spent with you and his companion… Maybe we’ll have to divide our time with him.”

Luhan snorted, smiling at his ridiculous words. “Sure. As if he’ll want any of us now that the war’s over. He’ll waddle his little bum back to you, and you’ll enjoy it because you like it when he’s all smiley and clingy.” Jongin couldn’t deny that.

They looked at each other thoughtfully in silence, sharing a brotherly moment. “Just think about it, Kai. If you really believe he loves you, then you’ll do it for him.”

“If you insist,” Jongin nodded. He stood up reluctantly, trailing his fingers over Kyungsoo’s arm. “Where are you going?” Luhan asked in surprise.

“Maybe I’ll take a walk, brother. Care to join me?” Jongin said. Luhan smiled slyly. “Why not?” he shrugged. Getting off the bed, Luhan traipsed off to the door while Jongin kissed Kyungsoo’s forehead lightly, promising to return soon.

“I love you, _min kjærlighet._ I won’t be long _._ ”


	14. I'm loving the pain (and I don't ever wanna live without us)

Kyungsoo struggled against a sea of darkness, feeling everything from horror to sadness, to anger and determination. There were strange images in his head, flying demons, little orbs of light floating over stiff, dead bodies and Tao shattering into pieces like a broken china doll, shedding a tear and whispering, “Goodbye.”

He couldn’t comprehend why he was feeling or seeing these things; they made no sense to him but the overwhelming fear and the sense of being chased in his dreams was enough to make him fight through his fatigue, opening his eyes and gasping for air.

He felt like he had been asleep for a very long time; his arms were stiff, his lips were chapped, and most of all, he missed someone.

_Jongin._

Kyungsoo realized he was in bed, and it was night outside, blankets piled over him and a cup of water on the dresser. He downed it gratefully, feeling the water rush down his throat and tingling his toes. _Is the war over?_ He thought.

He tried to remember the last thing he had done before being knocked out, feeling like he had missed days in his life.

 _But knocked out by what?_ He thought in confusion. Kyungsoo vaguely remembered taking dance lessons from Luhan, could even remember a few steps from his horrific lesson, but beyond that was a mystery. _How did I even get in bed?_

Kyungsoo blinked in the darkness, remembering when Yifan came to visit him. What if he tried it again? Panic rose in his chest, threatening to snuff out good sense. He was alone that time, and he was alone now. Would Yifan somehow sense that and try to materialize out of the darkness once more?

 _Not gonna risk it,_ he thought, and got to his feet gingerly, shuffling to the door as fast as he could. Needles poked him painfully on the soles of his feet, but he ignored it, stumbling to the exit.

Swinging the door open, he looked out at the corridors and found no one in sight; not even Eunyoung in her room or any other servant wandering about. He closed the door behind, the sound of his own breath audible in the palpable silence. _Where is everyone?_

Kyungsoo shuffled down the hallway a bit more, wondering where everyone had disappeared off to when he heard the strangest thing; music.

It wasn’t sad, lamenting music as Kyungsoo might have expected it to be, considering that the war wasn’t over yet, but it was cheerful, jovial music from an accordion and maybe a flute or two.

“Did I miss something?” he asked aloud. Trying to follow the music, he found himself on the path of the public dining hall, and as he got closer, he could hear cheers, sounds of forks scraping against plates and loud laughter from what sounded like a whole lot of people.

Kyungsoo turned the corner, feeling more and more confused by the second and suddenly bumped into someone’s chest, squashing his nose against a hard vest.

“Whoa, sorry about that, I didn’t see you there… Wait, _Kyungsoo_?” the other person exclaimed while Kyungsoo rubbed at his red nose. “Ow,” he muttered, and glanced up. It was Sehun, who looked stunned, maybe even dumbfounded at Kyungsoo. His hair was mussed up and he looked a little cross eyed from staring at Kyungsoo.

“Are you drunk?” Kyungsoo asked flatly.

“Kyungsoo? What—Kai just said you were sleeping awhile ago,” Sehun protested, clapping his hands on his shoulders. “I must’ve done a pretty good job with you; not even a week and you’re up and about,” Sehun laughed.

“A week?” Kyungsoo repeated.

“Yeah. Don’t you remember getting knocked out?” Sehun frowned. Kyungsoo furrowed his eyebrows at Sehun. “No. I don’t even remember how I got into bed last night,” Kyungsoo replied. Sehun’s face fell, and he looked worried.

“You were asleep for three days,” he said.

Kyungsoo widened his eyes at him. “I _slept_ through the war? Is that why everyone’s celebrating? Did I miss out on the fight or—”

“No, no, Kyungsoo, you were _at_ the war,” Sehun protested, shaking his hand at him. “We won, thanks to you. Well, and Minseok’s brilliant plan, of course. You distracted Yifan long enough that Jongdae had time to kill Tao… Are you sure you don’t remember any of this?” Sehun said uncertainly.

Kyungsoo shook his head at him. What Sehun had just said sounded like an impossible reality to him. Do Kyungsoo, the kid in high school who could barely run around the field without losing his breath, changed the course of war? It sounded like something Jongin could do; heroic and righteous.

“Oh no. But you remember Kai right? He’s your mate, you love him, he loves you…?”

“I remember you, don’t I?” Kyungsoo rolled his eyes, resisting the urge to slap him. They weren’t that close yet.

Sehun laughed half heartedly. “I guess you do, huh? Do you want to wait out here while I get Kai? He’s celebrating with everyone else, and he can tell you more about the war,” Sehun jabbed a thumb at the dining hall behind him.

“Why can’t I just see him?” Kyungsoo asked, pushing past Sehun and looking around the corner.

The hall was impossible to recognise with the walls draped in red cloth, Jongin’s sigma painted in gold over it, and people seated at table filled with food, from roast chicken to mashed potatoes; the works. He couldn’t spot Jongin from where he stood, but frowned when he did spot Baekhyun feeding Chanyeol wine with his mouth. Or at least it looked like wine. _Absolutely revolting_ , Kyungsoo shuddered. Jongdae was among the crowd as well, flirting and smiling widely at Suho.

“You wouldn’t be able to find him,” Sehun patted his shoulder reassuringly. “He’ll want some private time with you anyway. Wait here, alright?” Sehun said, and Kyungsoo nodded, watching him re enter the hall and manoeuvring past people with ease. Sehun nodded politely at some people along the way, high fiving a very drunk Minseok and even fist bumped Suho, who wasn’t drunk yet but was definitely on his way.

He stopped when he reached the other end of the hall, and bent over to speak to someone. _Oh, there’s Jongin_ , Kyungsoo realized. Three days of sleep had not changed Kyungsoo’s opinion of Jongin at all. In fact, he looked positively delicious now; his eyes were sparkly and bright, probably from cider, and his top revealed just a hint of tanned skin beneath…

Kyungsoo took a shuddery deep breath when Jongin met his gaze with one of his own, strong and piercing through Kyungsoo’s soul. He gave a weak wave and Jongin got up, a sense of urgency in his movements.

Jongin made his way through the people agonizingly slow, squeezing past rowdy crowds and flying limbs of drunken men and women. Kyungsoo felt like he couldn’t breathe; three days without seeing Jongin suddenly seemed like a _long_ time, and Jongin must’ve felt the same from the way he kissed Kyungsoo roughly, open mouthed and hot breath filling Kyungsoo with desire.

“Hi,” Kyungsoo whispered, throwing his arms around Jongin’s shoulders and letting Jongin draw him close.

“I thought I’d never see you with your eyes open again, my love,” Jongin sighed, peppering kisses all over Kyungsoo’s face, his jaw line, his nose, his lips. 

“I’m getting the impression that you missed me a lot when I was asleep,” Kyungsoo said, feeling a bit more daring than usual and hooking one leg around Jongin’s leg. Jongin chuckled under his breath, cupping Kyungsoo’s face with both hands.

“Perhaps I did, love,” he whispered, kissing him deeply. _Ooh, kissing Jongin is never boring_ , Kyungsoo thought. His tongue work was on point and the taste of him was simply—

“I see the love birds have come back in full swing,” Luhan said dryly from behind Jongin. Kyungsoo broke off with a gasp, coughing when he choked himself in surprise. Jongin gave Luhan a surly look, which he pointedly ignored. Luhan was wearing silky robes in a lovely shade of salmon, bringing out the rosiness in his cheeks. “Sehun told me you both were out here,” he said flippantly, folding his arms.

“Do Kyungsoo,” Luhan said, emphasising each syllable. “I thought we were friends. Why wasn’t I invited to your little soiree?” Luhan said haughtily. “My mom told me to always keep your friends close, and your in-laws closer so,” Kyungsoo shrugged.

“Well then, join the party, Kyungsoo! It’s been going on since yesterday, and it’s gonna go on now that you’re awake. Jongdae’s paying for everything so eat up and drink up!” Luhan threw his arms into the air. “I’m not a party kind of person. I didn’t even join a fraternity in college,” Kyungsoo said, at which Luhan and Jongin frowned at. “What does a fraternity have to do with a party?” Jongin asked.

Kyungsoo waved his comment away. “Just a Pureblood thing. Never mind. I still don’t feel like a party though.” Luhan gave him a death glare poisonous enough to kill a horse. “Everyone is always up for a party. Don’t be fucking ridiculous.”

Kyungsoo weighed his options carefully. Retire early for the night (or late, depending on the way you looked at it) with Jongin, and do anything _but_ sleep (maybe have a chit chat on whatever he had apparently missed), or attend a party that he would probably not enjoy? He looked up at Jongin, who gave him a shrug and an it’s-up-to-you look.

“Maybe I’ll check in just for the food then,” Kyungsoo finally acquiesced for Jongin’s sake. It’d be good for his PR anyway. Luhan shot Jongin a weird look for a moment before he smiled happily. “I knew you’d see the sense in agreeing with me soon enough. Come along then, Baekhyun would love to see you,” Luhan said, turning around and letting his robes fly behind him like a parachute.

They entered the hall with Kyungsoo feeling as nervous as a turkey on Thanksgiving. He gripped Jongin’s hand tightly, trying not to start trembling when the crowd turned to face him. _I definitely have social anxiety issues_ , Kyungsoo thought, as some people smiled at him. It wasn’t so much about the amount of people than it was about the amount of people directing their focus to Kyungsoo.

Luckily for him, most of the people were respectful, keeping their distance from Kyungsoo enough not to make him feel like he was suffocating. Mostly they just raised their glasses at him, thanking him for what he had done.

Again, he felt like they were thanking the wrong person somehow; he couldn’t even hold a sword in one hand, but he bowed at each and every one of them politely, accepting their thanks as graciously as he could manage. It would’ve been weirder and harder to handle if he refused their kind words anyway. Jongin stood behind him protectively, hovering around to make sure Kyungsoo didn’t have to say more than he had to.

“What do you want to eat?” Jongin whispered in his ear, pouring himself  a mug of cider from a half full jug. He swallowed half of it before handing it to Kyungsoo. “People will find it rude if you’re sober at a party,” Jongin said inconspicuously to him, motioning for him to drink.

“Oh. Thanks for drinking half of it then,” Kyungsoo said, sipping at the sweet, floral honey flavoured drink. Jongin chuckled at him, guiding him to the end of the hall where his empty throne was. Kyungsoo sat down beside Jongin, his stomach growling at the sight of hot potatoes cakes piled up on a tray.

“Have you eaten yet?” Kyungsoo asked, picking up one of the potato cakes and taking a tentative bite. Jongin shook his head.

“Why not?” Kyungsoo asked curiously, savouring the salty goodness of the hot cake in his mouth. “Don’t feel like it,” Jongin said, watching Kyungsoo eat. “Shouldn’t you be keeping your health?” Kyungsoo frowned.

Jongin chuckled. “I was too worried about you to eat,” he admitted, pushing an empty plate to Kyungsoo when a few crumbs dropped from his mouth. Kyungsoo slapped his wrist lightly with his free hand. “What if I didn’t wake up? Would you have just starved to death?”

“Hardly. Luhan tried to make me leave every day, I’m sure at some point I would’ve given in,” Jongin smiled, and Kyungsoo’s annoyance dissolved into warmth. “It’s nice of you to worry about me, Jongin, but I’m not the only one who needs you.”

Jongin avoided his gaze. “Luhan said something like that as well.”

“It’s true,” Kyungsoo said softly, his voice almost inaudible above the music and noise around him. “There are people out there looking up to you.”

Jongin stared at him with an unfathomable gaze while Kyungsoo chewed on a butter bun. “Why do neither of you understand how much I need you, love? You, my love,” Jongin said, taking Kyungsoo’s hand gently. “You have my heart, and without you by my side I… I worry, love. Is it that hard to believe?”

“I’ll always be here for you, Jongin, I—I don’t know how else to put it in words. You don’t _have_ to constantly worry for me, Jongin, I could be…” Kyungsoo tried to think of an example. “When it’s raining, you don’t always have to be the one holding the umbrella, Jongin. _We_ are under the same umbrella together now, and I won’t ever try to run out in the rain. Do you get what I’m trying to say?”

“An umbrella?” Jongin echoed. “Don’t you have umbrellas here?” Kyungsoo asked in disbelief. Jongin shook his head. “Wow, um. I think people used to call it parasols or something like that.”

“Ah,” Jongin nodded in comprehension. Kyungsoo couldn’t resist laughing a little. “Yeah. We can hold the parasol together, Jongin. You’re not alone in this,” Kyungsoo said, squeezing his hand. Jongin looked like he was close to tears, and Kyungsoo had to pinch Jongin’s cheek to cheer him up.

“Don’t cry at your own party, Jongin. You look crazy,” Kyungsoo said, mooshing his cheeks. He gave Jongin a small kiss to cheer him up, and he smiled a little through his teary, red eyes.

“I love you,” Kyungsoo said softly.

*

Kyungsoo had planned on staying in the hall for as long as it took for him to eat and leave the moment it wasn’t inappropriate to escape the party, but the cider he was served tonight seemed a little stronger than he expected, and he stayed till it was almost dawn, laughing at Chanyeol’s corny jokes and braiding Luhan’s hair. Food kept appearing on the table in front of him, and he felt obliged to nibble on at least a few of the dishes. Baekhyun had told him that eating would ease the pain in his head if he ate every so often while drinking, so he picked at the boiled peanuts, pork cracklings, some kind of cooked vegetable soaked in olive oil...

After that, there was the after party which he simply could not miss, courtesy of Luhan and Baekhyun who were determined to finish every single drop of cider in the hall before passing out for the rest of the day. Jongin stayed beside Kyungsoo’s side throughout the night, the only sober one among eight drunks since three of them had already passed out.

“To living our lives like there’s no tomorrow!” Baekhyun had toasted, holding up his cup and spilling some cider over his hand. “We’re already in tomorrow,” Kyungsoo had replied, trying to toast Baekhyun’s cup but missing it by two inches. If he was being honest, every toast he had made throughout the night was all a daze to him up until Jongin had dragged him away from the party, waving goodbye at all of them like he was still in pre-school.

“Love, I must say, I’ve never seen you this possessed with spirits,” Jongin remarked, holding Kyungsoo up halfway while he stumbled all the way to their room, face red and caught in a fit of giggles for no reason.

“I think you’re sexy too,” Kyungsoo replied, trying to focus on Jongin’s face. “Y’know, I don’t think it’s appropriate to have sex when I haven’t brushed my teeth yet, but you are definitely tempting me,” Kyungsoo tried to bop Jongin’s nose but almost fell over his feet instead.

Jongin caught him before he fell, and pulled him up into his arms. “Ugh, I feel so dizzy,” Kyungsoo complained, throwing his head back and looking out the windows upside down as Jongin walked past them. “Is it sunset already?” Kyungsoo slurred, squinting at the sun.

“It’s dawn now, love, and you’ve been up all night when you said you were just going to eat,” Jongin laughed.

“Oh. Dawn. Well I’m hungry now, and I want you to eat me,” Kyungsoo said, forcing his upper body up to look at Jongin dead in the eye. “Hungry,” Kyungsoo repeated.

“Yes, you’re hungry,” Jongin replied lightly. “I’ll send for some biscuits if you want, later in bed.”

“No. I’m hungry, but you’re the one doing the eating,” Kyungsoo insisted, kissing Jongin sloppily as a hint. “Get it? Hungry?” Kyungsoo asked, running his tongue over Jongin’s teeth. He could taste lust on his tongue, but Jongin still kept resisting.

“I don’t think you’re in your right mind, my love,” Jongin smiled, kicking open his door. “Sure I am. Now are you going to fuck me?” Kyungsoo said crossly. “Honestly. I’m asking for sex, and he’s playing dumb,” Kyungsoo said, folding his arms.

Jongin placed Kyungsoo on the bed gently, and he flopped over, spread eagle, sighing heavily. “I know what you’re asking for, love, I assure you, but isn’t it too early for this?” Jongin laughed, climbing over him to kiss him lightly. Kyungsoo wrapped his legs around Jongin’s waist and tugged him down, sliding one hand down to Jongin’s lower back to trail his fingers over Jongin’s pert ass.

“It’s late if you want to look at it that way,” Kyungsoo said softly, feeling pleasure sizzle in his veins when Jongin kissed a trail down his neck.

“Are you sure?” Jongin asked huskily, sucking at a spot on Kyungsoo’s neck. Kyungsoo writhed on the bed underneath Jongin wantonly, grinding his hips on Jongin’s crotch. Jongin groaned in his throat, closing his eyes in pleasure. Kyungsoo could feel him going hard and moaned a little to turn him on.

“Please,” Kyungsoo whispered in his ear, nibbling on his earlobe.

“Very well then,” Jongin grunted, sitting up to take off his clothes. Kyungsoo watched him absently, reaching a hand up to trace three parallel scars across his stomach when his shirt was off. “I don’t remember ever seeing these on you the last time we did it,” Kyungsoo said softly.

“The war leaves its marks,” Jongin simply said, tugging off Kyungsoo top for him. “You’re still beautiful despite everything,” Kyungsoo said breathlessly.

Jongin smirked at him, undoing the ties on his pants slowly. “No, let me,” Kyungsoo placed his hands over Jongin’s hand, stilling him. He took deep breaths as Kyungsoo kept his gaze on Jongin, untying his pants and reaching in to wrap his hand around Jongin’s cock. “Ah, my love…” Jongin exhaled with his mouth open, rocking his hips into Kyungsoo’s touch.

“I don’t think we’ve done it since your office,” Kyungsoo said, wriggling out from beneath Jongin for some arm space. He stroked Jongin’s cock long and slow, droplets of precome dripping onto his hand. “I quite enjoyed myself then,” Jongin smiled, caressing Kyungsoo’s cheek.

“Do you want me like you did in your office?” Kyungsoo said, taking his hand away to lick at Jongin’s precome on his hand. Jongin’s cock twitched at the sight, and he had to take a deep breath before he could comprehend what Kyungsoo just said.

“What about you? Throwing yourself at me like this when it’s barely even light out,” Jongin murmured, leaning down to kiss Kyungsoo. Jongin’s tongue coaxed at Kyungsoo’s mouth to open up for him, and he did, moaning in Jongin’s mouth loudly.

“Jongin please, touch me,” Kyungsoo whispered, arching his back when Jongin placed a hand around his ribcage, thumbing at Kyungsoo’s nipple teasingly. “I miss the way you touch me, Jongin, I…” Kyungsoo sighed when Jongin pulled away for a moment to pull his pants down, freeing his hard cock from the restraining fabric.

“I don’t know what I’d do without you,” Kyungsoo finished, kissing Jongin languidly. Jongin’s hand reached down to grope Kyungsoo’s ass, and Kyungsoo took the opportunity to move and sit on Jongin’s lap, their cocks rubbing together.

The friction felt like fire to Kyungsoo, and he bounced in Jongin’s lap shamelessly, arching his back as he did so. “Pace yourself, love, or we’ll be done before you know it,” Jongin said with a smile, placing his hands on Kyungsoo’s hips to still him. “No, I want you now,” Kyungsoo insisted, pulling at Jongin’s hair and kissing him, nibbling on his bottom lip.

Jongin pushed him over onto the bed again, hands on either side of Kyungsoo’s shoulders as he continued to kiss Kyungsoo till he was out of breath. He lowered his hips down to Kyungsoo’s body, thrusting slightly to rub at Kyungsoo’s hard cock.

“Please, Jongin, I want you now, I want you bad,” Kyungsoo said, reaching down to touch Jongin’s cock. Jongin’s hips stuttered when he ran his thumb over the slit, more precome leaking out of his cock. “Fuck,” he muttered with feeling.

Kyungsoo turned over on the bed for Jongin, since he didn’t seem to get the hint that he wanted to be fucked hard, preferably right now. The buzz in his veins from the alcohol felt good, and he wanted it to last before he passed sooner rather than later.

He pushed his face into the mattress, propping his ass up in the air. “Please, Jongin, touch me,” Kyungsoo whined, placing both hands on his ass cheeks and spreading them open. Jongin’s hand ghosted over his entrance, sticking his fingertip in experimentally, and Kyungsoo keened into the mattress in anticipation.

“Fuck me, Jongin, please, fuck me,” Kyungsoo moaned, rocking his hips to ease the tension in his groin. “All in good time, love,” Jongin said, giving his ass a light slap before he kissed it reverently, making Kyungsoo moan low in his throat. Jongin licked Kyungsoo’s entrance gently, and Kyungsoo’s body jerked, trying to stay still as Jongin stuck his tongue into Kyungsoo’s ass, in and out and over again until Kyungsoo felt close to orgasm, his head feeling flushed and dizzy.

Jongin licked his ass a little bit more before he fitted a finger in, making Kyungsoo gasp. “Oh yes, Jongin,” Kyungsoo sighed, clenching around his digit tightly. It burned his entrance just enough to make him hiss, but the way Jongin slid it in and out, wet sounds obscenely loud in the silence, made Kyungsoo feel like coming, but he held back painfully, the head of his cock a pulsing red. He wanted to come together with Jongin, not before him.

Then Jongin abruptly disappeared, and he guessed that Jongin was probably fetching some lube. Kyungsoo rearranged his limbs in a more comfortable position, waiting for the return of Jongin’s warm hands. “Your skin is divine, my love,” Jongin said, standing up and admiring the view.

“T-thanks,” Kyungsoo muttered in embarrassment, thighs trembling from the effort of holding his ass up for so long. “No, really, love. It’s milky, a lovely shade of pink under the sun… and so soft to the touch,” Jongin said, running a hand down one of Kyungsoo’s thighs and brushing his balls. Kyungsoo whimpered, feeling exposed all of a sudden.

“And then there’s this part,” Jongin continued, one of his thumbs pressing into his entrance. His touch was cold, and Kyungsoo shuddered when he pushed it into his entrance, sliding in smoothly. “It’s red, a remarkable contrast to the rest of your skin. Do you feel the way your ass begs for me, love? Sucking me in and holding on tightly,” Jongin said huskily, thrusting his thumb into Kyungsoo slowly.

“Don’t stop, Jongin, please,” Kyungsoo whined, trying to move his hips in time to Jongin’s thrust. Jongin brought his hand down on Kyungsoo’s ass, smacking it loudly. Kyungsoo gasped at the sting of pain. Jongin had never spanked him before. “Patience,” he said softly, sliding the next finger in. “Mm, yes, yes, like that!” Kyungsoo cried, feeling his entrance stretch around Jongin’s fingers.

“I love it when you do me, Jongin, I do,” Kyungsoo moaned, not really aware of what he was saying. “Do you?” Jongin asked, crooking his fingers. Kyungsoo’s body jolted, a choked scream falling from Kyungsoo’s lips.

“Yes, I like it when you ride my ass,” Kyungsoo bit out, fingers tangling into the sheets. “Hit me again, Jongin. Do it,” he moaned, turning around to look at him pleadingly. Jongin paid no attention to him, sliding his hand into Kyungsoo calmly.

“You mean… this?” he asked nonchalantly, spanking his ass once more. The pain was so beautiful, it made Kyungsoo cry out in pleasure. “Again,” he whined, his ass growing warm from Jongin’s spanking. He liked it when Jongin struck him a little below his entrance, just stopping short of bruising his balls. Jongin spanked him six more times, thrusting his fingers into Kyungsoo at the same time until he couldn’t bear it any longer and started writhing under his touch. “Oh please, Jongin, fuck me, fuck me _hard_ —”

Jongin obliged silently, getting on his knee to press his cock at Kyungsoo’s entrance. “Be a good boy and I’ll let you ride my cock, my love. Do you want that?” he asked, teasing Kyungsoo’s puckered entrance.

Kyungsoo nodded, tears streaking down his face. “Yes, I’d like that very much,” he gasped, holding his ass open for Jongin as he pushed into Kyungsoo to the hilt, their hips touching. Jongin grabbed a fistful of Kyungsoo’s hair and pulled him upwards, his cock sliding deep enough into Kyungsoo to make him scream.

“Ah, Jongin,” Kyungsoo moaned breathlessly, moving his hips up and down on Jongin’s cock, letting his head drop back on Jongin’s shoulder. “Mm, yes, love, move like this,” Jongin said in his ear, gyrating his hips in a circle and holding Kyungsoo to him, so that they moved together and his cock brushed up every inch of Kyungsoo, his mouth dropping open.

His back arched even more when Jongin finally started thrusting, pulling out with a wet noise and fucking Kyungsoo roughly, his breath ragged in Kyungsoo’s ear. Kyungsoo held onto Jongin for support, not trusting his wobbly knees to hold him up while one of Jongin’s hands reached forward and pumped Kyungsoo’s cock in tandem with his thrusts.

Kyungsoo gasped silently with each thrust, sweat running down his back as he tried to meet Jongin thrust for thrust, pushing back on him whenever Jongin’s cock slid in deliciously into his ass. “Harder, Jongin, harder,” he begged deliriously, his head lolling back on Jongin’s shoulder.

Jongin grunted with effort as he fucked Kyungsoo with renewed force, his hand gripping Kyungsoo’s waist painfully. “I’m so close now,” Kyungsoo murmured, sticking his tongue into Jongin’s ear. Jongin sucked on his neck, their bodies slick with sweat.

“Ah… _Ah_ ,” Kyungsoo gasped, falling down on his arms and closing his eyes as Jongin gave his ass a smack, sending him over the edge and coming in spurts over the sheets, shuddering violently. Jongin rode out his orgasm, hips relentlessly driving into Kyungsoo’s ass until he too came, a hoarse cry climbing its way out of his throat. Kyungsoo clenched his ass, feeling Jongin’s cock pulsing within him.

“Jongin,” Kyungsoo gasped, repeating his name over and over again like a prayer, the syllables rolling off his tongue easily. Jongin was panting hard as well, pulling out of Kyungsoo and dropping to the bed beside him.

Kyungsoo clambered over to him, collapsing over his chest and kissing his chest in a silent thank you before he closed his eyes, feeling too drowsy for anything else. Jongin drew him close, kissing his forehead as he slipped off into sleep in Jongin’s arms.

*

When Kyungsoo finally came to, the sun was already high up in the sky, and he was still draped over a sleeping Jongin, his face turned to the left and right arm over Kyungsoo’s body. Kyungsoo’s head was throbbing in his skull, and he dropped his head back down on Jongin’s chest, snuggling in and smelling his scent.

Kyungsoo had never noticed, but Jongin’s scent was undetectably sweet somehow, with an underlying smell of musk and perhaps a hint of something undeniably Jongin. He drew small circles on Jongin’s stomach, trailing his hands over his scars on his body to distract himself from his rumbling loins before he couldn’t take it anymore and ran into the bathroom, retching into a basin. He washed it away down the drain, wrinkling his nose.

He felt green in the stomach, and decided to brush his teeth to get the gnarly taste of puke out of his mouth. Kyungsoo shuffled back into the room while still brushing his teeth, staring at Jongin fondly. Jongin, the one and only who could make Kyungsoo feel safe yet risqué at the same time. Jongin, who loved him despite everything he had done to him. Kyungsoo was disgusted with himself; he was officially Jongin’s sap.

He lifted his left hand to scrub at his scalp, reminding himself absently to wash his hair later. Something slid down his wrist, and he looked at it absently. _A bracelet?_ he thought, spotting a slim band glimmering around his wrist. It was white and silver, cool against his skin and it looked downright pricey.

 _Did I have it on last night?_ Kyungsoo frowned to himself, trying to remember. He was too out of it to really remember, but maybe he did… Something had shone in his eyes whenever he lifted a hand to toast with Baekhyun. He would have to ask Jongin about it later.

He finished washing up and placed a towel over his head, ready for a warm bath with Jongin. He climbed over Jongin’s waist, sitting on him heavily and kissing his pink lips gently. Jongin didn’t react to the first kiss, but when he kissed Jongin a bit more, tonguing his mouth, Jongin’s hand came up behind him, settling on the small of his back as he kissed him back.

“Hi, Jongin,” Kyungsoo said shyly when he opened his eyes. Jongin smiled sleepily at his greeting, hair as messed up as a bird’s nest. “Good morning,” he said softly, voice thick with sleep. “How are you feeling?” he asked, rubbing his hand soothingly on Kyungsoo’s back.

“Better than last night. Sorry about… you know,” he muttered, dropping his gaze away from Jongin’s eyes. “It’s alright,” Jongin smiled, stretching his arms. “As long as you enjoyed yourself.”

“I did. Did you?” Kyungsoo asked, getting out of his lap to let him sit up. “I always do when I’m with you,” Jongin said, chucking him under his chin. Kyungsoo would’ve thought it normal, except that his hand glimmered as well, with the same kind of brilliance as the bracelet on his hand.

Kyungsoo caught his hand before he put it down, staring at the same bracelet on Jongin’s hand. “Why are wearing this?” Kyungsoo asked. Jongin shrugged. “I gave it to you. You don’t remember it?”

“No,” he said uncertainly, admiring the bracelet. “It’s pretty,” he mumbled. Jongin fingered his bracelet, tugging it off and showing it to him. “There’s an engraving for you,” he said, watching for his reaction. Kyungsoo felt the words carved into the metal and blurted, “Does it go something like, ‘I’m nothing without you’?”

He squinted at the engraving, and frowned when he realized it was in Jongin’s language. “I am nothing without you, _my love_. And no, mine doesn’t say anything. I was waiting for you,” Jongin cut in before he could ask.

“Oh. Have I thought of something yet?”

Jongin cocked his head to one side. “Not that I know of.”

Kyungsoo put his bracelet back on, touching the rough surface of the rock thoughtfully. “Then we should get it engraved today for you, don’t you think?” he asked. “Since we have nothing better to do anyway.”

“If you want, I could bring you down to town to see the jeweller,” Jongin suggested. “That’d be nice,” Kyungsoo smiled. “But for now, I want you to shower together with me. Come on,” Kyungsoo said, pulling at his arms.

In the bathtub, Kyungsoo sat between Jongin’s legs, still feeling very much fuzzy in the chest with Jongin. He was satisfied with his artwork that he had done on Jongin with foam awhile ago; a tower of bubbles balanced on top of his head and two dots on his cheeks. Jongin insisted on washing his hair for him while updating Kyungsoo on everything that had happened, so he sat back and listened quietly, enjoying the feel of his fingers scraping his scalp and the steam rising from the warm water.

Kyungsoo didn’t feel too sad about Yifan being dead, since he was the cause of everything that had happened in the first place. He was a little shocked though, when he heard that Tao had to be killed for them to stop Yifan on his rampage.

“Did he… Did he suffer?” Kyungsoo asked softly. He never thought it would really come down to that. “No, he didn’t. His death was quick,” Jongin replied. “Who’s King now then?”

“Jongdae,” Jongin replied. “Really?” Kyungsoo said in disbelief. “Why him?”

“It is the law that whoever kills the King automatically assumes his throne, unless he has already found his mate. They are then required to duel one another to death. Since Tao died as well, Jongdae is now King, although he only killed Yifan out of pity and revenge, not because he wanted the throne.”

“Is he gonna be okay?” Kyungsoo asked. Being King didn’t sound as easy. “He is welcome to ask me for advice, of course, and he does have a team of advisors,” Jongin said, foaming up Kyungsoo’s hair to a poof of black and white.

“What about Lycanfort, now that everything’s sort of destroyed? Is the town okay?” Kyungsoo asked. “Only minor damages have been done to the town since they had already been evacuated. The rest of the villages that have been burnt or torn down are being rebuilt as we speak, by Jongdae’s aristocrats. He made them do it, and I couldn’t find it in myself to say otherwise,” Jongin smiled.

“Well, that’ll save you a lot of money, won’t it?” Kyungsoo laughed.

Kyungsoo fiddled with the bracelet in his hand, dropping it in the water and catching it when it sunk down. He wanted to know more about it, more than anything else Jongin had just told him. There was a nagging feeling in the back of his head that he knew what the rock was, and it wasn’t diamond.

“Tell me about the bracelet now,” Kyungsoo said, turning around to look at Jongin. “Now that I think about it, I never told you much about it when I first gave it to you,” he mused, motioning for him to face forward.

“So you should tell me now,” Kyungsoo laughed, running his fingers over the engraving. The dedication was beautiful, and it was the sweetest thing Jongin had ever done, among other things. Jongin cleared his throat, pouring some water on his hair. “Well, the rock is not diamond,” he started to say.

 _Ah. So I was right then,_ Kyungsoo thought. “It’s something called _adamas_ ,” Jongin continued.

“It has always been tradition among Downworlders to exchange adamas with one another in some form once they’ve been… intimate.” Kyungsoo could feel Jongin blushing, and he pretended not to notice, waiting for him to continue. “Each piece of _adamas_ exchanged between a couple is unique; everyone has their own piece designed by the jeweller.”

 “I suppose I wanted to give it to you before the war in case we— in case we ever ran out of time together,” Jongin finished lamely, washing off all the suds in his hair.

“But we’re here now,” Kyungsoo said softly, patting his knee under the water. Jongin smiled, putting his head on Kyungsoo’s shoulder and kissed his earlobe. “I suppose we are.”

 Kyungsoo giggled, leaning away from him. “I’m happy you didn’t die,” he said, linking hands with Jongin. “I have to concur with that notion, yes,” Jongin agreed. Kyungsoo kissed him languidly, running his hands through Jongin’s wet hair. “I think I’ve just thought of something perfect for your bracelet engraving,” Kyungsoo whispered, stifling a smile.

“Oh?” Jongin said distractedly, rubbing their noses together. Kyungsoo was about to kiss his dumb face again when his stomach twisted in his abdomen and growled, the sound muffled from the water.

“Was that you?” Jongin asked.

“No,” Kyungsoo lied. “We should—I think we should get out of the water now, let’s not be wasteful,” Kyungsoo said, trying to get to his feet. Jongin let it slide, biting down on a smile. “Shall we have lunch outside?” he asked.

Kyungsoo looked down at him, eyes widening.

“Are you asking me out?” The smile on Jongin’s face faltered. “I—I—Only if you want to think of it that way,” he muttered. “No, no, it won’t be a date. It’ll be a casual walk in town because once Luhan gets wind of this he’ll want to chaperone us, and we’ll never be able to avoid all the weird looks from the townspeople,” Kyungsoo quickly said, waving at Jongin’s bubble tower to make it topple over, getting out of the bathtub and snatching a towel at the same time.

“Imagine what he’d do if we held hands,” Kyungsoo muttered while Jongin blushed. “I’m sorry he’s such a thorn in your side,” he apologized, taking a towel and wiping himself down. “It’s not your fault you’re sane and he’s not,” Kyungsoo said, scrubbing at his hair. He wished he had brought a hairdryer; his hair pointed in all sorts of directions every time he let it air dry on its own.

“After town, I was thinking that I should um, stop by my world. Just to make sure I haven’t been gone too long,” Kyungsoo said casually.

Since the coast was safe in his own world now, Kyungsoo thought that he should at least check in to see how long he’d been gone. He didn’t know what excuse he was going to make up for disappearing for so long (his mother was bound to notice he and Baekhyun were gone by now) but he was apprehensive about going back. If he didn’t make up a good excuse, his mother would never let him sleep over with Baekhyun again. Kyungsoo felt like a teenage girl sleeping over at her boyfriend’s place, the thought of getting caught lingering in the back of his mind.

“What should I tell my mom?” Kyungsoo said to Jongin, wrapping the towel around himself. Jongin shrugged. “I can’t tell her the truth but I’m really bad at making up elaborate lies. Maybe I should get Baekhyun to help me,” Kyungsoo mused.

“Your companion would probably make everything worse,” Jongin laughed. “He’s actually pretty good at lying. That’s the only thing he can do well besides singing and Chanyeol.”

“He fought quite well during the war, actually,” Jongin said, surprising Kyungsoo mildly. “Are you defending him? That’s a first, Jongin,” Kyungsoo snickered. “You’re not in your right mind, love,” Jongin said calmly, taking his hand and leading him out of the bathroom.

“What a liar,” Kyungsoo laughed.

They walked back to their room holding hands. Kyungsoo changed hastily, the winter wind seeping in through the castle and into his bones. “I wonder if I missed Christmas,” Kyungsoo wondered, zipping up his parka. Jongin lifted his eyebrows in question. “Er… It’s a Christian celebration in honour of Jesus’ birth. Our saviour and all that. People don’t really celebrate because it’s his birthday anymore though. It’s more about snow, the decorations…” Kyungsoo waved his hands eloquently.

Jongin still looked confused. Kyungsoo sighed, putting both hands around his neck. “Religious stuff. But the whole point is, it’s a celebration. I wish I could spend Christmas with you,” Kyungsoo said wistfully, kissing Jongin.

“Would you like me to stay with you in the Pureblood world?” Jongin asked, hugging Kyungsoo’s waist. Kyungsoo thought about it. “It’d be really nice if you did, but my parents won’t be too happy about me dumping them for you on Christmas day,” he said. “I’ll celebrate whatever Christmas is with your family then. It’s only right that I get to know the people who raised you,” Jongin said, mouthing bluntly at his jaw.

Kyungsoo kissed his neck gently. _Such a dweeb_ , he thought fondly, patting Jongin’s cheek. “We’ll see. For now, I want you to have your engraving. You’ve been waiting for it for too long.”

*

Jongin rode the horse to town with Kyungsoo at the back this time. “You don’t want me to puke all over you, right?” Kyungsoo had said calmly when Jongin tried to insist on having Kyungsoo in front. Jongin half sighed and half laughed, rolling his eyes.

It was nice to be on the horse, hugging Jongin from behind though. It was like riding a very large, robust motorcycle, and he sort of thought that this felt like a date, even if he wasn’t supposed think it was. If it _was_ a date, however, then it would be their second or third, depending on whether the amusement park they had paid a visit to the last time they were in the Pureblood world together was considered a date.

The little town in front of their castle was barely damaged, as Jongin said, with little evidence of the Europeans having ever come through the area. The only thing that caught Kyungsoo’s eye was the fallen clock tower in the middle of the town square, but three Europeans were working on it, piecing it back together with their powers.

Jongin stopped beneath the willow tree where they had first kissed, getting down first and then carrying Kyungsoo down from the horse. Kyungsoo idly watched little fish swimming in the river while Jongin tied his horse to the tree, patting and fussing over it. The spot where they had sat down that night looked different during the day, and it was so hard for Kyungsoo to believe that it hadn’t happened in his dreams.

Jongin was such an enigma to him, and Kyungsoo wondered if he’d ever get over this… this infatuation. It was all he could do to not jump on Jongin and make out with him, all day and night.

“Shall we, love?” Jongin held out a hand to him. Kyungsoo smiled shyly and took his hand, averting his eyes to the ground as they walked around town. He was still embarrassed about being Jongin’s mate and all; it was worst when everyone knew they were in love with each other.

Jongin led him down a narrow, cobblestone street, pointing out places that he had frequented as a child. A toy store, selling wooden soldiers, porcelain dolls, little doll houses and other trinkets. A bicycle store, selling bicycles of all sizes and colours. A furniture store crammed full with tables, bed frames, chairs… A tea house, serving tea and cakes while selling teacup sets on the side. Kyungsoo admired the delicate little cups of china; his mom would lose her mind in this place.

“Can we eat here?” Kyungsoo asked, peeking into the tea house. Magdalene’s, it was called. It looked old, with its antique, heavily embroidered and upholstered sofas seats and its delicate, floral wallpaper. There was only a few old women inside, but it looked welcoming enough from the outside.

Jongin nodded, pushing the door open. Kyungsoo went in first, admiring the cute little place. A woman behind the counter brightened when he entered, and hurried out to greet him. “Master! And his mate! Oh, this is a lovely, lovely day indeed. I haven’t seen you since you were a child, Master. Come in, come and take a seat,” she said warmly, leading them to a private corner, a table and two chairs set out.

Kyungsoo bowed at her and thanked her politely, sitting down carefully. Jongin sat down across Kyungsoo, looking uncomfortable at the amount of fragile china pieces on the table. “What are you serving today?” Jongin asked.

“We have a wide selection of teas. Would you like a fruit tea or traditional tea?” she asked. Jongin looked at Kyungsoo, and he stared blankly back at him. “What… kind of fruit tea do you have? I don’t think I’ve had fruit tea before,” he said slowly.

“Ah, excellent choice, sire! Would you like blueberry tea, passion fruit tea, peach tea…?”

“I think blueberry tea sounds great. Do you have any food?” Kyungsoo asked. She nodded eagerly. “We serve both vegetarian and meat sandwiches. Or would you prefer scones and butter, sire?”

“By any chance, do you serve peaches and cream?” Jongin said. She said yes, they most definitely served that, and Jongin decided to have one of everything on the menu. Kyungsoo just went along with it, touching the little tea cup in front of him curiously as the lady hurried off to serve them personally.

“Have you been here?” Kyungsoo asked. Jongin shook his head. “I’ve seen this place before, but I don’t think I ever thought of entering. Luhan, maybe, would know this place,” Jongin said. Kyungsoo agreed that the place was definitely Luhan’s kind of aesthetic. “My mom would love this kind of place as well,” Kyungsoo added.

“Perhaps we should get her a tea cup set then, to appease her,” Jongin suggested. “How would we carry it back?” Kyungsoo laughed. “I’ll have an errand boy to drop it at the castle,” Jongin said.

“Everything’s so easy for you, isn’t it?” Kyungsoo smiled.

“Being King has its benefits,” Jongin lifted an eyebrow at him. “I wish you were King in my world too. Then I’d never have to worry about college fees, getting a job…” Kyungsoo said dreamily.

“We can’t have everything our way, can we?” Jongin said softly, reaching for Kyungsoo’s hand. Kyungsoo knew what he was thinking, knew that Jongin wanted him to stay more than anything else but—

Kyungsoo sighed, lacing his fingers together with Jongin’s fingers. “You know I would love to stay here with you. Perpetually forever,” Kyungsoo said, voice low. Jongin waited for him to continue. “But I’ve got things to settle in my own world. I want to stay with you here, trust me, there’s no way I want to go back to being alone up there, it’s just,” Kyungsoo took a deep breath.  “It’s like moving to another country. What would I say to my mother?”

“Run away. Leave a note, jump in the Portal, and you’ll never have to worry about a thing,” Jongin said teasingly. Kyungsoo smiled half heartedly. If only things were so simple, like daydreams in summer where everything went your way.

“I still don’t know what to do about Baekhyun being a vampire too, you know. He’s definitely not going home, that’s for sure, but his mom is definitely going to look for me and ask for an explanation about his disappearance soon enough,” Kyungsoo sighed.

Jongin’s thumb stroked Kyungsoo’s hand soothingly as he listened silently. “Have you thought about being honest?” he asked.

“Honest? With my mom?”

Jongin nodded. Kyungsoo thought about it, tapping his chin. “Be honest with her… And bring you along too. Maybe you could Phase, and she could believe about your kind being sentient.” Jongin nodded encouragingly.

“Do you think bringing Jongdae would help? Or Sehun? With Baekhyun’s situation?” Kyungsoo asked.

“Why not bring the real Baekhyun? Then his mother can see with her own eyes that he’s still very much her son as he is still your best friend,” Jongin suggested. Kyungsoo bit his lip. “I don’t know. What if they don’t want to accept us?”

“Then you have a home here with me,” Jongin said, bringing his hand to his mouth and kissing his fingertips. Kyungsoo smiled shyly, looking away. “I know you’ll be there for me,” Kyungsoo murmured. “That’s one thing you won’t have to remind me.”

Then the lady came with a pot of steaming hot, fragrant tea, and they released their hold on each other in embarrassment. She poured the tea out into their cups before setting the pot down on the table between them. She went back into the kitchen for a moment, and returned with two five tiered trays filled with miniature sandwiches, miniature cakes, miniature scones, miniature tarts … Everything came in pairs, so Kyungsoo wasn’t sure if he could even get a full meal out of this.

“Enjoy,” she said breathlessly, curtseying dramatically. Kyungsoo thanked her once more, and they sipped at their hot tea first. “You know, unofficially, this is actually brunch,” Kyungsoo said.

“Is that supposed to be a combination of breakfast and lunch?” Jongin guessed. “Yeah. Hey, you got the hang of it. I’m so proud,” Kyungsoo smiled teasingly, picking up a tiny strawberry shortcake. “All of this looks _really_ cute,” Kyungsoo commented.

“We’ll probably have to eat again before we leave,” Jongin said, buttering up a scone before shoving it into his mouth, his cheeks puffing up.

“You can choose where we’ll eat later then,” Kyungsoo said, to be fair. He didn’t want to be one of those people who chose the menu each and every meal without consulting their partner.

It didn’t take long for them to devour all the little cakes. Kyungsoo immensely enjoyed the blueberry tea; it wasn’t too sweet but it still left a minty freshness in his mouth, putting him in a good mood when they looked at the tea cup sets to see which would be suitable for Kyungsoo’s mother. He settled on one with four tea cups, all of the items lined with gold. It was a simple enough design that wouldn’t look too bad at home, he figured.

As Jongin had said, he requested for an errand boy from the lady to have the tea cup set sent to the castle within the hour, explaining that it would be unseemly to carry precious china on a horse.

Kyungsoo was about to protest when Jongin produced a little bag of gold coins, but stopped when he realized that Pureblood money here would be useless. He had been relieved of the oh-no-let-me-pay-for-the-bill routine on his first casual date without realizing it. The lady refused to take Jongin’s money, insisting that the meal was free. “No, no, Master, I won’t take your money!” she pushed his hand back at Jongin. “Servitude to the King does not come with a price,” she said wisely.

Jongin proceeded to leave a few gold coins on her counter when she wasn’t paying attention, and waved at her goodbye, thanking her for her hospitality.

“That was nice of you to leave the money there for her,” Kyungsoo said, holding Jongin’s hand. “We ate her food, we drank her tea…” Jongin looked at Kyungsoo. “It was only right to repay her kindness, love.”

“You’re nicer than you look,” Kyungsoo said, swinging their arms together. “Are you saying I look like a miser, unable to part with a single penny?” Jongin asked. “Well no, you just don’t look generous. But you are with everyone. Luhan, Baekhyun, Chanyeol, Yixing… the list goes on. I can’t even count how many people are freeloading off you because you’re so kind,” Kyungsoo laughed.

“What if I said I was only generous because I wanted to see you happy?” Jongin smiled.

“Then I’ll be happy all my life, and Baekhyun will never have to look for his own place here,” Kyungsoo teased, and Jongin drew his arms around Kyungsoo’s shoulders to kiss him on the cheek. “Then it will be my pride and joy to make you smile, my love,” Jongin murmured.

Kyungsoo bit his lip and looked away in embarrassment.

Jongin kept his arm around Kyungsoo as they made their way through the narrow street, squeezing past people and smelling all sorts of food. Some people recognized them and came up to them, offering free samples and they accepted a few, such as sliced fruit and some sort of herbal root tea. It tasted like ash to Kyungsoo, but he downed it quickly, not wanting to offend anyone.

By the time they reached the jeweller, Kyungsoo almost walked past it because the entrance was built between two little shops. It looked nothing more than an empty alleyway, turning sharply to the right into darkness. He was chewing on a soft, steamed yam wrapped in rice skin distractedly and Jongin had to put a hand on his shoulder to stop him from getting lost.

“This is the place,” Jongin said, pointing into the dark and small walkway, wide enough only for one person at a time. “But doesn’t it lead somewhere else?” Kyungsoo said in confusion. Jongin laughed. “It’s quite a large establishment, love, and frankly, we’ve walking around it in a big circle. The other buildings have been built around the shop, so you don’t quite know this is the entrance unless you know what you’re looking for.”

“Does every single couple stop by here to make _adamas_ accessories?” Kyungsoo asked, ducking under an old, ragged cloth with unfathomable words written on it above the entrance and entering the dark alley.

“Not every couple,” Jongin corrected him, leading him by holding his hand through the darkness. “There are a few jewellers in town specialising in _adamas,_ but this jeweller is the oldest. He’s made _adamas_ rings and necklaces for some of my ancestors,” Jongin informed Kyungsoo.

“Is he expensive?” Kyungsoo squeaked. He doubted the jeweller was undercharging people if he was working for the royal family.

“Good quality _adamas_ is hard to come by,” was all Jongin said, and Kyungsoo knew, ooh, he was spending far too much on him. The worst part was that he couldn’t even try to return it, because his bracelet was custom made, and no one else but Jongin would have the same one.

“Explains why it’s pretty then,” Kyungsoo mumbled back. Jongin was quiet for a moment, leading Kyungsoo through the dark alleyway before he said, “Can I ask what your dedication will be?”

“No. It’s a surprise,” Kyungsoo said, squeezing his hand. He felt rather than saw Jongin smile.

They walked a few more steps before the walkway opened up into a large area, a colonial building built in a perfect square around the grass. An empty corridor ran along beside the grass, leading to someplace else at the other end. Jongin tugged Kyungsoo to the left, where an empty space was dug out to make way for a large counter, an old bespectacled man sitting behind it. Rows and rows of chunky, sparkling _adamas_ were arranged in the glass shelves behind the old man. 

He looked frail, but his eyes were bright and friendly as he spotted Jongin and Kyungsoo. He gave them a friendly nod, and Jongin greeted him in his own language.

“This must be no other than your newfound mate, yes?” he asked. Jongin nodded happily while Kyungsoo blushed and bowed at the man. There were six chairs arranged in front of the counter, and Kyungsoo sat on one of them as Jongin took off his bracelet. “My love, this is Mr. Kim, the one who I was telling you about,” Jongin introduced him.

“Would you like to place an order for a new piece of _adamas_?” the old man asked Kyungsoo, who shook his head furiously. “Um, no, it’s okay, just one piece will do,” he laughed nervously.

“Perhaps later in the future,” Mr. Kim nodded with a smile. “Well, if you’re not here to buy a new set of adamas then you must be here for some other reason?” he turned to Jongin.

“Yes, indeed. I have need of your engraving skills,” he said, holding out his bracelet to him. The man took it and gave an _Ah!_ of recognition. “The best piece of _adamas_ I ever made, yes, yes,” he chuckled. “It took quite some time and effort to allow the _adamas_ to set without any of the gold holding it in place,” he said, more to himself as he examined it.

“Now, you said engraving, yes? What would you like engraved on it?” he asked, taking a feather and inkwell from under the counter and pushing it to Jongin. “Um, I’m actually the one to write the dedication,” Kyungsoo said, taking the inkwell and feather. Mr. Kim chuckled and took out a piece of paper, sliding it to Kyungsoo.

Kyungsoo scribbled his dedication on the paper, struggling to hold the feather. It was too thin at the tip and he couldn’t seem to spread the ink out evenly on the paper, thus blotting the paper with dark spots of ink, but the words were still legible enough to him. Not letting Jongin see it, he pushed the paper back to Mr. Kim, and said, “Could you translate that into your language?”

He read it and nodded knowingly, tapping the side of his nose. “Of course. Simple, but concise. I’ll have it done it no time,” he said, giving Kyungsoo a warm smile before pushing a door open and going through it, leaving them alone. “Is this the workshop?” Kyungsoo asked, pointing at the door.

“Mm. Making _adamas_ accessories can be a tricky process, after all, and we’re not their only customers. They need the space,” Jongin replied, taking Kyungsoo’s hand. Kyungsoo stared up at the large chunks of adamas, wondering how many of them would actually be used in a year.

“Do you get to choose which rock you want?” Kyungsoo asked, pointing at all of them.

“The best _adamas_ is only presented upon request. These are for couples with less… financial flexibility,” Jongin said. “I’m guessing this isn’t from any of these rocks then,” Kyungsoo said flatly, holding up his bracelet. Jongin shook his head.

“You’re making it difficult for me to buy you a present. Now I have to get you something pricey as well,” Kyungsoo said, playing with Jongin’s fingers. “Or should I get your name tattooed on my forehead? Something like ‘Jongin’s property’,” Kyungsoo said playfully.

“’Property of the King of Lycanfort’. I quite like it. Has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?” he said, leaning in to kiss Kyungsoo gently. “Yeah, you’d like that,” Kyungsoo giggled, kissing him back. Jongin caressed his cheek, kissing Kyungsoo chastely.

“I honestly cannot wait to see your dedication,” he whispered. “Wait for it. It was the cheesiest thing I could think of, but still holding some truth to it,” Kyungsoo smiled, fiddling with Jongin’s fringe.

“I think you’ll kind of like it,” Kyungsoo said. “It’s very you, and definitely the kind of thing you would say.”

Mr. Kim returned not long after that, polishing the bracelet with a cloth before handing it back to Jongin. He took it, brushing a finger over the words.

***“ _For du er den som fullfører min sjel,”_ he read aloud. _For you are the one who completes my soul._  

“Do you get it? It’s like a continuation of your dedication to me,” Kyungsoo said, trying to guess if Jongin liked it or not. He looked like he was trying to decide between _ugh, this is boring_ and _hey, this isn’t ba_ d to Kyungsoo from his unreadable expression. “I quite like it actually,” he mumbled, blushing.

“Really?” Kyungsoo asked. “You’re not just saying that because you don’t want to offend me?”

“It pleases me to know that you think of me in such a way, love. It is more than I expected,” Jongin said honestly. The old man chuckled at the pair of them. “Happy to be of service to you then, my King.”

Jongin stared at it for a second more before he dug out his little bag of gold coins. “How much will it be then?” he asked.

“One piece of gold will do, Master. Enjoy your _adamas_ ,” he smiled. Jongin paid up, put the bracelet on, and they left holding hands once more.

“Do you really like it?” Kyungsoo said, happy to see that Jongin was happy.

“Of course, love. I suppose it never occurred to me that…” he tried to phrase his sentence properly. “That I love you as much as I do?” Kyungsoo guessed. “It’s not like that, my love, how ever you regard me is of your own—”

“I know I don’t _act_ like I love you,” Kyungsoo blurted, cutting in. “I mean, I’ve left you twice because I couldn’t figure out what’s important in my life, and you were a mess whenever I was gone. I’m sorry that I did that, and I always will be, but I just wanted you to know that I _love_ _you_ , Jongin. No matter what happens. You’re… well, who you are, and I’m glad that you love me too, as cheesy as that sounds.”

Jongin stared at the ground thoughtfully. They squeezed into the alleyway, and Kyungsoo kept his hand in Jongin’s hold. “I’ve always thought that I was… second to your world, love,” he said quietly in the darkness.

Kyungsoo felt close to tears when he heard that. He knew that he was being selfish when he left, and hated that Jongin felt that way. Jongin had never been second to anything. It was only Kyungsoo who couldn’t admit that to himself.

“You’re not second to my world, Jongin. Not anymore. I don’t think you’ve ever been second, because you were all I thought about when I was alone,” Kyungsoo said, his voice trembling. They reached the end of the alleyway, and Kyungsoo stepped in front of Jongin, holding his face with both hands.

“I know my word isn’t much but I promise you, Jongin, I _swear_. You’re not second to anything, to anyone, not even my family. And I’m not just saying it because you need to hear it from me, but I mean it, Jongin. I’m so—I’m in love with you, Jongin, and I’m sorry that you couldn’t believe it in the past because I was so stupid and stubborn not to see. I’ll make it up to you, Jongin, I promise. Will you… give me another chance to prove it to you, even though I failed you enough times to hurt you?” Kyungsoo said, tears spilling over.

“You don’t have to prove anything to me, love,” Jongin said softly. Kyungsoo placed his forehead on Jongin’s chest, tasting the salt from his tears. “I’m sorry,” Kyungsoo croaked, wiping at his tears. There was nothing else he could say or do, after all. He owed Jongin enough apologies to last a lifetime, and if it meant leaving his world for Jongin, then it wasn’t all that much. Kyungsoo wanted his selfish dream of having Jongin for the rest of his life, wanted to make Jongin happy in any way possible.

“Don’t be, my love. I can’t, and I won’t ever force you to choose between me and your family. No one should be ever put in that sort of position,” Jongin whispered, kissing the top of his head and hugging him tightly.

“That’s only because no one else ever had so much to lose,” Kyungsoo hiccupped, looking up at him. “I wish you weren’t so… so forgiving. Then maybe I’d be the one who’d been hurt more than you,” Kyungsoo said. Jongin wiped his tears away, looking wistfully down at him.

“Love is about compromise, isn’t it?” he asked, running a thumb against Kyungsoo’s bottom lip.

“Then it’s about time I be the one doing the compromising,” Kyungsoo replied, reaching up to kiss Jongin once more. 

 

 

 


	15. can you picture it, babe, the life we could've lived?

Jongin was notably silent on their way back to the castle. Kyungsoo clung to him tightly, holding onto Jongin as the horse trotted its way through the woods. Kyungsoo didn’t like it when Jongin was quiet like this. It left him alone with his own dreaded thoughts and the bitter decisions he was forced to make.

He hated himself for being indecisive when he knew, without a doubt, that he would choose Jongin in the end, but he still couldn’t let go of his own world. Kyungsoo himself couldn’t see why he was holding onto something so tightly that couldn’t give him the same kind of happiness he had when he was with Jongin.  

Maybe it was because he still wasn’t sure of what would happen between them after he decided he wanted to stay. There was no doubt that Jongin would love him, and Kyungsoo would be happy for the rest of his life, but he wanted eternity with Jongin.

It was irrational and selfish of Kyungsoo, but if he stayed, he wanted his happiness to last. He wanted it to last for as long Jongin lived, and to return to ashes when Jongin’s time was up. Kyungsoo didn’t want to do things halfway and leave any possibility unchecked.

 _I don’t want to be without him anymore_ , Kyungsoo thought. _I want us to be forever._

And was it so selfish, to want to be with Baekhyun, his best friend, to want to live in Jongin’s world with him, to want to know him like no one else ever will and to see him through his entire life, and not drop out halfway?

He gripped Jongin’s waist tightly, feeling tears roll down his eyes, but he grinded his teeth together painfully in determination _. I_ can _leave my world for Jongin_ , he thought. _Yes, I can._

And there was only one way he could do it, one way where he could see the light at the end of the tunnel, but he didn’t know if Jongin would be willing to go through with it. He wasn’t even sure if it was safe enough, because he knew Jongin would want to keep him safe, above all else, but he had to try. It’d be cruel to Jongin if he didn’t.

Kyungsoo chewed his lip nervously the rest of the trip, thinking of all the alternatives. There were very few, and all of them involved Kyungsoo and Jongin being separated some time or other. All in all, the idea he had in mind was the best he could think of.

When they finally reached the castle stables, Kyungsoo and Jongin got off, and Jongin handed the horse reins to the new stable boy. He was about to take Kyungsoo’s hand to walk back to the castle, but Kyungsoo decided to just be out with it; he was too hyped up for anything else.

 “Jongin, can I be alone for awhile? Just for a short while, until I tell you I’m ready to leave. Please?” Kyungsoo said, deploying his best pleading tone on him.

Jongin looked suspicious and mildly surprised. He gave Kyungsoo a long look before he said, “I’ll be in the office then, love, if you need me.”

 Kyungsoo gave a quiet sigh of relief and thanked him with a kiss on his cheek, running ahead of him to speak with Luhan.  

He banged on his door with a fist, hard enough to make it rattle in its doorframe. The questions he had were far too important to consider the fact that Luhan and Sehun were most likely sleeping their hangovers off, but he thumped on their door relentlessly until Sehun flung it open blearily. “No one is in,” he mumbled, looking far too tired to be angry. Kyungsoo pushed past him, dragging Sehun to the bed where Luhan was.

“Luhan. Luhan, wake up. Wake up, you crappy brother in law, I need to talk to you about something,” he said, shaking Luhan’s shoulder violently. Sehun climbed back into bed, still half asleep. They were both topless, and Kyungsoo was struck by how similar their skin tones were, despite Sehun being a vampire. Luhan yawned briefly, opening one sleepy eye to stare at Kyungsoo balefully.

“I’m the best brother in law out there,” he mumbled. Sehun flopped on the bed to go back to sleep, but Kyungsoo slapped at his thigh repeatedly. “I need to talk to you too,” he insisted, pulling at his arm.

“One at a time, folks,” Sehun muttered, sitting up groggily.

“Okay, fine. Luhan, Sehun, there’s something I need to ask the both of you. It’s really important,” Kyungsoo started to say. Luhan sat up, leaning on Sehun’s shoulder wearily. “So you keep saying.”

“It is! Look, what does Jongin think about Turning me? Has he ever said anything to you about it? And Sehun, if you Turn me, will there be a guarantee I can survive?” Kyungsoo said to the both of them.

Luhan stretched his arms, yawning widely. “It’s too early for this, Kyungsoo, it really is,” he said tiredly, rubbing his neck.

“C’mon, give me an answer,” Kyungsoo said impatiently, shaking and patting his hand. Luhan answered him first, while Sehun looked like he was about to drop back into sleep. “He doesn’t like it. I asked him about him before, and he said that it was out of the question.”

So it was as Kyungsoo expected. He didn’t like it. And the reason why, Kyungsoo could already guess, but he had to be sure anyway. “Sehun?” Kyungsoo cooed, poking at his skinny arm. “What about my question?”

He snorted before he muttered, “Do you want to be Turned into a vampire or werewolf?”

“Either one,” Kyungsoo replied eagerly.

“Turning you would be like breaking a mirror and reassembling the pieces. There’s no guarantee I can solve the puzzle, and you’ll always be able to see the cracks,” he said, almost philosophically. Then he slumped over, apparently asleep. Luhan squinted at Kyungsoo, his eyes bright with curiousity.

“Why are you asking these questions anyway?” he asked. Kyungsoo shook his head. “No reason. Thanks for answering my questions,” he said, getting out of bed before Luhan could stop him. Luhan made a garbled noise, chasing after Kyungsoo at a surprising speed for someone who was asleep thirty seconds ago. Kyungsoo practically ran to the door in fear, shutting it in a fast crawling Luhan’s face.

“Asshole!” Luhan shouted, before he walked away.

Kyungsoo paced around outside Luhan’s door as he thought about what he wanted from Jongin, whether or not it was too much to ask for. He could always live out his life as a human, but that wasn’t much of a promise Kyungsoo could give Jongin. He wanted his happiness, and he never wanted to be the one behind Jongin’s tears again.

 _If I can just convince him properly_ , Kyungsoo thought, his mind racing for the right words. _Then staying wouldn’t be a temporary solution._ He could fulfil his promise to Jongin, and he would never leave him ever again, in any way.

 _I should just go for it_ , he thought, pumping himself up even though his entire body broke out in cold sweat just thinking about it. _I’ve been asking him for so many things, will he even consider this?_  

 _He might not_ , Kyungsoo bit his fingernail in anxiety. _But I should try. Why shouldn’t I?_ And the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. If he Turned, he wouldn’t live forever, but his lifespan would definitely be long enough to be with Jongin for a substantial amount of time. That was more than enough for Kyungsoo, and he was almost certain Jongin would want it as well. Why wouldn’t he? What was so nice about being a Pureblood anyway?

Kyungsoo made his way to Jongin’s office, his heart in his throat as he knocked on the door. “Come in, love,” Jongin called softly from the inside. He twisted the doorknob and shuffled in cautiously. He was nervous about having an audience, but fortunately Jongin was alone, seated at his desk and looking up at him expectantly.

“Hi, um… Were you busy? I can come back later if you are—”

“No, love, I was just reading through a few reports. Would you like me to get ready to ride out to the Portal?” he asked, about to get up, and Kyungsoo shook his head quickly. “No, Jongin, not just yet. I—”

“Jongin, there’s something I need to say,” Kyungsoo said softly, closing the door behind him. He hid his trembling hands behind his back, afraid of what Jongin might say _. But I can’t back down from this now_ , he thought, steeling himself.   _He needs to hear this one out._

“What is it, love?” he said, getting out of his seat and pulling out a chair for Kyungsoo at the meeting table. Kyungsoo sat on the chair numbly, trying to get all the jumbled words in his head together. “Remember what I said in town? About staying here with you permanently?”

Jongin nodded, sitting down beside him.

“Well, there’s just one more thing. Two more, actually. I… I know I’m being selfish for saying this, and I promise, if there was any other way to stay with you forever, I’d do it, but— but there isn’t so. Jongin, I _will_ stay with you in your world, and you’ll never hear a single word about me trying to go back to my world ever again, if—”

“If?” Jongin repeated, brushing away a stray strand of hair from his face. “Don’t leave me in suspense, love. You know there’s nothing I won’t do for you.”

“You might hate me for saying this.”

“ _Min kjærlighet._ I can never hate you,” Jongin said gently, lacing one of his hands together with Kyungsoo’s hand.

“Jongin, I want to be with you _your_ whole life. Not mine,” Kyungsoo said softly. Jongin frowned, not comprehending. “I don’t… follow, love.”

“I’ll only stay with you if you let someone Turn me. Preferably a vampire, since we’re not sure about the werewolf Turning,” Kyungsoo said in a garbled sentence. He didn’t dare to look at Jongin’s face.

“What?” he whispered hollowly.

Kyungsoo risked a glance up at Jongin’s stunned face. “You want… you want to be one of us?” he croaked. He shook his head slowly. “No, love. No. Everything else in this world, I can give you, but this is something I won’t let you do, my love—”

“Then I won’t stay, Jongin!” Kyungsoo stomped his foot, snatching his hand out of Jongin’s grip. “I won’t stay with you if I’m going to die in sixty years. Then it’d be no different now, if I told you that I wanted to go back. You can say no, Jongin, but I’d still be hurting you when I’m dead. I don’t want to be here if I can’t have you forever,” Kyungsoo insisted.

“My love, do you even understand what you are asking for?” Jongin said, trying to plead with Kyungsoo. “You’ve seen your companion Turn. There’s no real guarantee you’ll survive, and even then you’d have to be close to death. I won’t watch that happen to you, love,” Jongin said firmly, taking him by the shoulders.

“If I stay as a human, Jongin,” Kyungsoo said slowly. “I’d be as good as dead.” Jongin flinched at his words. “Why won’t you give me this one last thing, Jongin? Besides, I asked Sehun about it, and although he didn’t promise I’d survive, I want to take this chance for you. You wanted me to stay, because you wanted me to be with you, Jongin. Now I’m saying yes, I’m more than willing to do that, and on top of everything else, I want to do it for more than sixty years. I really don’t see the down side to this.”

“If you die while Turning, my love, I won’t even be able to bring you back to life,” Jongin choked out. “Baekhyun didn’t die,” Kyungsoo pointed out.

“But there was every chance that he would never wake up. I won’t gamble with your life so recklessly, love. What you ask for is far too much,” Jongin said.

Kyungsoo held his face with both hands, looking into his sad eyes. “But you want it, don’t you? I know you do, Jongin. You… you wouldn’t be able to bear it if I died in your arms a few years from now. I know you, Jongin. You’d blame yourself, and then maybe you’d ask yourself why didn’t you Turn me when you had the chance—”

Jongin shook his head, his own tears spilling out of his eyes and dripping down to his lap when he looked down. “I don’t need you to change who you are, my love. You can stay with me, _for me_ , and live out your normal lifespan, but please, my love,” Jongin said, on the verge of sobbing. He took Kyungsoo’s hands, speaking softly, “Don’t make me bury you.”

“You won’t bury me, for fuck’s sake,” Kyungsoo said, exasperated.

“We’ll be buried, cremated, whatever, _together_ , when we _both_ live to see our last sunrise. You’ll have white hair, as I will have too, and we’ll be sad that our time is up, but we’ll have each other, and that’s all I want from you, Jongin. That’s all,” Kyungsoo said, lifting his chin up.

“I don’t want to leave you again. Don’t make me do it, Jongin,” he begged. “Just say yes. Say yes, you’ll let me be a vampire or werewolf, anything to make me last just a little longer.”

Jongin shook his head, gripping Kyungsoo’s shoulders. “What if you don’t wake up?” he asked hoarsely. “Then what will I do without you?”

“You’ll live on, and you’ll forget me, maybe in a century or so. Then one day, you’ll smile instead of cry when you think of me.”

“That is a lie, and you know it.”

“Then it’s not fair for you either, when I die years from now. We can go on in circles about the what if’s for the rest of the day, but I’m not changing my mind, Jongin. You’ll let me Turn, or so help me God, I’ll leave you,” Kyungsoo threatened, using the only excuse he had left to convince Jongin. Jongin reached for his hand, squeezing it tightly.

“You’re right, love,” he said softly. “You _are_ selfish for saying this.”

Kyungsoo bit his lip, unable to say otherwise. Maybe it was a mistake to have said anything at all about this. Maybe yes, it _was_ selfish, too selfish of Kyungsoo to make Jongin risk losing Kyungsoo once more. Yet, there was no other way he could see if he wanted to be with Jongin forever.

“We’ve been through a lot, my love. I don’t think my heart could take it if … if all our efforts went to waste,” Jongin said, voice trembling. Kyungsoo sighed, placing a hand on his face. “I… I don’t know what else to say, Jongin, I really don’t.”

Jongin tightened his clasp around Kyungsoo’s hand. “I’m not saying no, my love, but I’m not saying yes either,” he murmured. “I just think that perhaps you should think this through, love, it’s not like you to be rash about things.”

“Could you give it a week, my love? A week for you to think about how dangerous it can be if you want to Turn. Think about what it’d do to your companion, and my brother—”

“I know what it’ll be like, and I won’t change my mind about it, Jongin, even if you try to delay by one measly week,” Kyungsoo glared at him. “Maybe I could convince you otherwise,” Jongin said. For a moment, Kyungsoo’s resolve wavered. Jongin sounded far too confident for his taste; what did he have up his sleeve?

“A week,” Kyungsoo repeated uncertainly. Jongin nodded. “A week is all I ask. If you still want to Turn after that, then… well, I won’t stop you,” Jongin shrugged. “You know, you won’t be able to convince me not to Turn,” Kyungsoo insisted. Whether he was trying to assure himself or Jongin, he didn’t know.

“We’ll see, love,” Jongin said softly. Kyungsoo felt anger rise in him; Jongin was so confident that he wouldn’t be able to stick to his decision for one damned week, but he just stood up, sitting in Jongin’s lap and kissing him gently, wiping his tears away.

“I hate it when we argue,” Kyungsoo said, thinking about how ridiculous his I’m-going-to-leave-you threat was. He could leave, but he would always need Jongin at his side.

“How are we supposed to last till forever if we always have fights like this?” Kyungsoo asked, patting dry Jongin’s tears. Jongin put an arm around him, placing a kiss on Kyungsoo’s forehead. “I haven’t said a word, and you’ve already started to doubt your decision,” he smiled.

“That wasn’t doubt about Turning,” Kyungsoo scowled. “That was ‘how am I supposed to stand you for the next hundred years if you and I are so stubborn?’” he said, throwing his arms around Jongin. “I’d still love you the same, you know,” Jongin murmured, inhaling Kyungsoo’s scent.

“Whether or not you’re a human, you’d still mean the world to me.”

 “Good. That means you won’t hate me when I’m all pale and skinny like Baekhyun,” Kyungsoo replied.

“But you’d be much more resilient than you are now,” Jongin said thoughtfully. “Totally. And you’d never have to worry about me getting hurt or whatever.”

Jongin pulled away, looking at Kyungsoo’s face lovingly. “I always worry for you, my love.” Kyungsoo blushed, squirming under his gaze. “That was unnecessary,” he muttered. Jongin chuckled, keeping hold on Kyungsoo so that he couldn’t run away.

“What are you planning to do about Baekhyun?” he asked, placing his head on Kyungsoo’s shoulder. “I don’t know yet. I’d have to ask him once he wakes up,” Kyungsoo replied.

“That means we have the afternoon to ourselves,” Jongin realized. Kyungsoo looked at him. “I’m tired though. Can we just eat and sleep later on? I’m not going back up until Baekhyun’s awake anyway,” Kyungsoo said.

“Why not, love?” Jongin said. Kyungsoo smiled, patting his face. Why Jongin was always so nice to him, Kyungsoo would never know. He stood up, holding Jongin’s hand as they strolled off to the dining hall at a leisurely pace. He was nervous about this parent bit, now that he had settled with staying in Jongin’s world. How he would explain it, and how his parents would react was completely out of his hands, but he simply hoped for the best.

*

When they both finally woke up five hours later for dinner, Kyungsoo was well rested and ready for anything the night (or day in his world, whatever) might have in store for him. Kyungsoo had a feeling in the back of his mind that his mother wasn’t going to happy about him, or Jongin, for that matter, but he wanted to stay with Jongin more than anything else.

Besides, there was nothing wrong in being a little optimistic. Maybe his mother would understand, and perhaps Baekhyun’s mother wouldn’t faint at the sight of her newly Turned son.

They gathered at the dining hall for dinner; Luhan, Baekhyun, Chanyeol, Jongin, Kyungsoo and Sehun. At Jongin’s request, he told Luhan not to come along in case he scared their parents off with his… fascinating personality. Luhan was offended, Sehun was hardly disgruntled. “I could come along for protection if you’d like,” he said, but Jongin told him no.

“I’m sure Baekhyun is capable of battle now,” Jongin told him. Baekhyun was capable of fighting off vampires now, yes, but he was as nervous as Kyungsoo about everything. “Maybe you’ll need Sehun for a Portal. Just in case,” Kyungsoo said. Sehun brightened at that, and Jongin shrugged. “Tell me everything when you get back,” Luhan said threateningly, pointing a finger at Sehun’s throat.

“I don’t know how to tell them about all this,” Baekhyun moaned, hugging his little cup of blood to himself.

“Chanyeol, are you going to see your parents as well?” Kyungsoo asked, sipping at his vegetable soup. “I thought we were going to get them to just gather at one place,” he frowned. Kyungsoo brightened. “That’s not a bad idea. Can you get a signal down here?” Kyungsoo asked.

“I left my phone at home,” he said, holding out his hand. Baekhyun waved a hand. “I have my phone. What should I say?” Baekhyun asked, shooing Chanyeol off to get it. “Do you think we’ve been gone a long time?” Kyungsoo said, trying to guess how many days he had been gone.

“Dunno. We could just text them to pick us up at some place and add, don’t tell the police,” Baekhyun said. “That sounds like we’ve been kidnapped,” Kyungsoo rolled his eyes.

“Do you have a better idea?” Baekhyun shot back. “Fine. Do it then. See if they say yes. If they don’t, though, then we'll have to think of something else fast,” Kyungsoo said.

“But say they agree to meet us. Then what? How are we going to explain about this world, Jongin, you…” Baekhyun trailed off.

“I don’t think I need to say anything,” Baekhyun laughed weakly, pointing at his eyes. “You know, my dad keeps a stake in his dresser,” he said, swirling the blood in his cup absently. Kyungsoo gave him a sympathetic look. “You—Don’t do this to yourself, Baek, neither of us knew what would happen.”

“And you too, Kyungsoo. Are you gonna tell your mom about … About the both of you?” Baekhyun said, eyeing Kyungsoo and Jongin with his red eyes. “I will try, if she isn’t hysterical. But they’d have to believe us, I mean. You’re a vampire. They can’t lie to themselves about that,” Kyungsoo said.

“I know. And I’m happy about who I am now, too it’s just… I don’t know. I just wonder what it’ll feel like,” Baekhyun said, finishing up his cup of blood. “What d’you mean?” Kyungsoo said.

“You know… what it’ll feel like to look at your parents and see that you’re a monster in their eyes,” Baekhyun said softly.

Kyungsoo didn’t know what to say. Chanyeol returned with the phone, and Baekhyun switched it on, waiting for the phone to boot up as they thought of what to say. “Where should we meet?” Baekhyun asked Kyungsoo once more.

“Somewhere public, maybe. Somewhere with lights and everything, so that they know it’s really us,” Kyungsoo mused. “Dunkin’ Donuts?” Baekhyun suggested.

“Too many people. Someone would be able to spot out your eyes right away. Somewhere with a little less business,” Kyungsoo said.

“McDonald’s?” Chanyeol suggested.

“How is that place different from Dunkin’ Donuts?” Kyungsoo deadpanned. “No, I mean the drive through. Not a lot of people know about it, so it’s not too busy. Yet,” Chanyeol added. Kyungsoo recalled the McDonald’s drive through several miles away from his home; the road was only populated by people driving out of town for work, and if they weren’t meeting up at peak hours, there wouldn’t be too many cars to spot them.

“I guess that could work. It’s as good as any other place,” Kyungsoo shrugged. Baekhyun texted his mother, his father, as well as Kyungsoo’s and Chanyeol’s parents. “Do you think an hour is enough time for us?” Baekhyun asked. Kyungsoo nodded.

“Right. Send,” Baekhyun said, tapping on his phone screen.

They went back to their dinner, waiting for a reply from any of their parents. Baekhyun fiddled with his phone, playing Flappy Bird to keep his phone alive. There was no response for the first ten minutes until Kyungsoo’s mother replied first; “Okay.”

Kyungsoo’s Shepherd’s Pie tasted like muddy ash in his mouth as he swallowed. Slowly, each of their parents replied, all of them a curt ‘Yes’ or ‘Alright’. _This is it_ , Kyungsoo thought. This was the beginning of the end of their lives as they knew it.

 *

They were solemn when they exited the Portal Sehun had made for them. He had Portaled them a few blocks away from McDonald’s, and they walked together as a group under the streetlights. They didn’t meet many passer-by’s, and no one recognized them.

McDonald’s came into sight fairly quickly, and they huddled into the alley between the drive through and another building. The parking lot in front of the drive through was deserted, not a single car parked out front. Sehun hung back in the shadows, an unseen dark figure in an alley behind McDonald’s in case they needed a quick Portal escape. Kyungsoo sincerely hoped they wouldn’t need one; if they did, that would only mean the police had gotten involved.

Baekhyun’s phone said the date today was 22nd of December, three days to Christmas, and it was just past midnight. 22nd of December meant that they had been gone for a fortnight, and their absence was most definitely noticed.

Kyungsoo couldn’t help but feel nostalgic about his little town as he looked up in the sky, waiting for his parents to show up. He was bundled up in a thick coat, but he still felt a shiver run down his spine when he realized that this was probably the last time he would ever see his town again.

He could not, _would not_ , want to come back anymore, not when it held so many memories for him. It only made it more painful when he thought about the price he was paying to be with Jongin. He held Kyungsoo’s gift for his mother in his hands, the delicate tea cup set stuffed with cotton into a wooden box. Kyungsoo hoped she’d see sense and accept the gift. Jongin caught his gaze and moved forward, kissing him gently on the mouth, a chaste kiss to remind him that he wasn’t alone.

 _This place means a lot but… Jongin means more to me_ , Kyungsoo thought, smiling weakly up at him. He pushed his silly thoughts away into the back of his head. _You’re the only one worth giving up my life for_ , Kyungsoo thought, staring into Jongin’s eyes. Baekhyun and Chanyeol were silent beside them, sharing their own moment as well.

“That’s my mom’s car pulling up,” Chanyeol noted, alerting the rest of them. Headlights flashed over them, and Baekhyun blocked the light out with his eyes as the car stopped a few feet away from them. Sehun shifted in the shadows. “Good luck,” he rasped, his small blade glinting in the dark.

“Your mom is with them,” Chanyeol said, referring to Baekhyun. “My dad too,” Baekhyun remarked. They were staring at the lot of them with a heavy, unreadable expression, getting out of the car slowly.

“Baekhyun? Baekhyun honey, is that you?” Mrs. Byun said, covering her mouth in utter surprise. Perhaps they had never really believed it would really be them. “Yeah,” Baekhyun called out. His father approached them first, hesitantly with a hand holding back Mrs. Byun protectively.

“Son, where have you been?” he asked. Baekhyun made no move to approach them. “I’ve been around,” Baekhyun lied. His father stopped in his tracks. “That doesn’t sound like you, son.”

“I’ve been gone a long time,” he replied, his voice cracking. Mrs. Park started to approach them as well. “Chanyeol, where did you go with the rest of your friends?” she said softly, taking tentative steps towards them.

“I’m fine, mom,” Chanyeol said, ignoring her question. “Son, why did you disappear for such a long time?” Mr. Byun said to Baekhyun. “We weren’t safe here. None of you were safe, dad. We had to stay away,” Baekhyun said, blinking as tears pooled in his eyes.

“Weren’t safe? Not safe from what?” Mrs. Byun said, but Baekhyun didn’t reply.

So far, they hadn’t noticed Baekhyun’s red eyes in the darkness yet, but if he shed bloody tears, they would know at once what he was. Kyungsoo tried not to panic as he touched Baekhyun’s arm in support. “Where’s my mom?” Kyungsoo asked.

“She’s on her way, Kyungsoo. Why don’t you come with us and head to the police station, boys? You’ve been gone a long time,” Mr. Byun repeated. “We can’t,” Baekhyun said, a tear finally sliding down his face. Mrs. Park was the first to notice.

“Baekhyun, is that… is that blood?” she said. Baekhyun swiped at his tears, not replying her. “Look, dad, we need to talk,” Baekhyun said.

“That’s right, son. All of us need to talk to ya,” he replied. Then he noticed Jongin for the first time. “Who’s this?” he asked, motioning at him with his chin. “He’s my boyfriend,” Kyungsoo muttered in embarrassment, red colouring his cheeks. Thank God it was dark.

“Boyfriend? Did he get you in this mess?” Mrs. Byun said. Kyungsoo knew his mother and Mrs. Byun were great gossips, and he was sure ‘boyfriend’ must’ve come up sometime or other. “I’ve never seen him around. Is he from out of town?” Mrs. Park frowned.

“You could say that,” Kyungsoo answered.

“Boys, why are we acting coy? Aren’t we your parents?” Mr. Byun said, laughing nervously. Before any of them could reply, a speeding car turned into the street, flashing bright headlights at them. Baekhyun turned away from the light, but not fast enough for Mr. Byun to miss it.

“Son? What happened to you?” he said, backing away from them now. Baekhyun took an instinctive step forward, but Mr. Byun pushed Mrs. Byun back, yelling, “Careful, honey, it’s a vampire!”

Mrs. Park shuddered away from them, joining them by the car. “Chanyeol, come away from them now—” She motioned at him.

“Dad, it’s still me—” Baekhyun tried to protest.

“What have you done to my son?!” he shouted, opening the car door and grabbing a stake. Chanyeol pushed Baekhyun behind him roughly, standing in front of him. “Get out of the way, boy, don’t try to protect this creature—”

“He’s still Baekhyun, Mr. Byun,” he said weakly, shielding a sobbing Baekhyun. Kyungsoo hushed him, giving him a hug to calm him down. He patted his back, letting Baekhyun cry on his coat.

“Byun, what’s all this?” someone suddenly said, coming from another direction. It was Kyungsoo’s parents, as well as his brother. _Right_ , Kyungsoo thought. _He’s supposed to be back today_. They must’ve been in the car that drove in a minute ago. His brother looked confused with whatever was going on, but Kyungsoo knew he caught on fast enough once he spotted Mr. Byun’s stake.

“Byun, put the stake down, for Christ’s sake—” Mr. Do tried to say, but Mr. Byun waved at them to move away from Kyungsoo and the rest. “It’s a vampire! Keep back,” Mr. Byun shouted, holding the stake out at them. Mrs. Do looked at them with wide eyes.

“What vampire? Who—?”

“It’s my boy,” Mrs. Byun started to cry, shoulders wracked with sobs. Baekhyun cried even more when he heard his mother break down, and looked up at Kyungsoo. “I can’t do this,” he said, face contorted in pain.

“Baek, don’t give up yet, we haven’t really spoken to them properly,” Kyungsoo pleaded with him. “You try then,” Baekhyun said, clutching Chanyeol’s back.

“Kyungsoo, what’s going on?” Mrs. Do called. He looked at Jongin for support, and he nodded once at him. Kyungsoo stepped away from them, moving in front of Chanyeol. “I’m fine. I’m still human,” Kyungsoo said, holding up his hands when Mr. Byun aimed the stake at Kyungsoo.

Jongin tensed behind him, but he placed a placating hand on his arm. “He won’t hurt me,” he whispered. Jongin didn’t look like he believed Kyungsoo.

“Look, um, everyone. We… We are gone for a long time. And we were all together,” Kyungsoo said. Mr. Byun was silent, but did not lower the stake.

“Where did you go? All the police could find was Chanyeol’s car at the abandoned house,” Mrs. Do said, putting her hands on her waist. “We went to um. We went to another world, as weird as that sounds,” Kyungsoo mumbled.

“The vampire’s got a hold of their minds, don’t believe a word he says!” Mr. Byun snarled.

“And when we went to that other world, we found people there, mom,” Kyungsoo said, continuing as if Mr. Byun hadn’t interrupted him. “They were nice people, and it turns out that they were werewolves and vampires. They’re—They were nice people, not like the ones up here,” Kyungsoo said.

His father looked fallen, clearing his throat. “Listen to what you’re saying, boy, it doesn’t make any sense. You went to a world where there were werewolves tripping around like normal people? Get it outta your head, boy—”

“No, I won’t ‘get it out of my head’, dad. This guy, _my boyfriend_ , has been standing here perfectly calm—”

“He’s a werewolf, isn’t he?” Mrs. Park said, shaking like a leaf. “Oh God, what have you done to yourself, Kyungsoo? Come with us, and we’ll get you checked up at once, boy, and you’ll see sense soon enough—”

“It’s the truth, Mrs. Park. They’re normal people! Baekhyun’s just fine, he’s not crazed or blood thirsty—” Kyungsoo insisted, but Mr. Byun was having none of it. “If he’s the werewolf, then he’s the one who needs a silver stake—”

“No, don’t!” Kyungsoo protested, blocking Jongin’s body with his own. “Why can’t you guys see he’s sentient? He’s not going to kill all of us,” Kyungsoo tried to convince them, but it was no use. Jongin placed a hand on Kyungsoo’s back to support him, staying completely silent.

“Kyungsoo honey, he’s not who you think he is. Whatever he’s been saying to you is a lie, and he’ll kill you once he’s had his fun,” his mother said to him. “You don’t know him, mom,” Kyungsoo shook his head, reaching for Jongin’s hand. He gripped Jongin’s hand tightly.

“Yeah. And Baekhyun is still the same, even if he’s a vampire, mom,” Chanyeol tried to say. His mother looked away from him, disappointment in her eyes.

Jongin suddenly tensed behind Kyungsoo. “What is it?” Kyungsoo looked up at him. Baekhyun looked over Chanyeol’s shoulder cautiously. “Kai, get to Sehun. I think the police are on their way,” he said.

 _Someone must’ve called the police_ , Kyungsoo thought. Jongin started to pull Kyungsoo away from them, and Mr. Byun held up his stake as the other parents started to protest indignantly. “Jongin, put down the box,” Kyungsoo told him. Jongin obeyed, putting it down on the ground (not very carefully), before pushing Kyungsoo into the alley.

“What are you doing to my son—”

“He’s going to kill him, now that he’s done with—”

“Kyungsoo, stop—”

“Mom! The box is for you. I’m sorry,” Kyungsoo cried over his back, barely able to see anything through the darkness.

Sirens wailed as a flare gun was shot into the air, signalling there was a Tainted being in the area and all civilians should stay away. Baekhyun pulled at Chanyeol as well, shoving and scrambling into the alley. “Sehun! Get the Portal up, police are here!” he yelled. He threw his phone to the ground, and it was crushed under Chanyeol’s foot.

Kyungsoo saw blue magic flaring in the darkness, and Sehun’s skinny figure went through first, Jongin and Kyungsoo tumbling into the Portal right after him. Kyungsoo hit something hard as he fell, and he scrambled out of the way before Chanyeol or Baekhyun sat on him.

“Hurry _up_ , Chanyeol, Seungsoo is after us!” Baekhyun voiced echoed in the alley. Kyungsoo didn’t know how to react when he heard his brother’s name. He faintly heard heavy footsteps going after them, and he moved away just in time for Chanyeol to trip over something and fall flat on the other side of the Portal. Baekhyun jumped in and skipped over Chanyeol with a yelp, almost falling down as well. Sehun shut the Portal with a flick of a wrist in Seungsoo’s face, and all was silent as everyone tried to catch their breath.

Kyungsoo looked up and realized they were in the castle, at the public dining hall. He pulled his knees up to his body, unable to believe what just happened. Had their approach been too direct, too suspicious? He had said all that he needed to say, but none of them believed a single word.

“Who called the police?” Chanyeol asked, pulling off his beanie and turning over, face up. “It was my mom,” Baekhyun replied him, wiping his tears away. “I saw her put away her phone just before they came.”

Kyungsoo sighed, putting his face in his hands. If only the police hadn’t gotten involved, then maybe it would’ve worked. Maybe if they had been more open right from the start, it wouldn’t have ended like this.

Baekhyun crawled over to Kyungsoo, hugging him. He didn’t feel like crying; there were no tears burning behind his eyes, but he was sorely disappointed with the outcome of meeting up with their parents. Kyungsoo hugged Baekhyun back, patting him as Baekhyun sobbed into his shoulder.

“I’ll never see my parents,” he whispered, diluted blood soaking into Kyungsoo’s coat. Disappointment hurt like a cut exposed to salt and lemon. “I-I know,” Kyungsoo said. “Neither will I.”

Jongin looked sorry for Kyungsoo, but didn’t say anything.

“I—We should’ve known,” Baekhyun said, his entire body shaking. “No, that’s not true, Baek,” Kyungsoo said, shaking his head. “They were our parents, _they_ were supposed to understand,” Kyungsoo said, fingers digging into Baekhyun’s coat. “It wasn’t our fault,” Kyungsoo insisted.

But even as he said it, Kyungsoo couldn’t tell if it was the truth.

*

Jongin held Kyungsoo’s in his arms in bed, his natural warmth and the blankets piled around them cocooning Kyungsoo in a warm, cosy shell. He had tried coaxing Kyungsoo into talking, but Kyungsoo didn’t budge at first, refusing to say anything.

“I guess I’m staying for good then,” he mumbled after a while. Jongin stared at his sullen face, caressing his cheek. “You don’t have to force yourself to stay for me, love,” he said softly. Kyungsoo buried his face into the pillow.

“Yes, I do,” he muttered. “I want to stay for you. You’ve done a lot for me, and I’ve … I’ve done practically nothing for you,” Kyungsoo said, placing his own hand over Jongin’s hand on the side of his face. “But if it hurts you so, my love, then perhaps you should reconsider—”

“No,” Kyungsoo repeated, trying not to cry. He didn’t want to be weak anymore, wanted to be strong for Jongin. Kyungsoo was tired of feeling like a failure all the time. Jongin ruffled his hair, stroking the strands gently. “Only if you are sure, love.”

Kyungsoo nodded. “I am. I guess I didn’t—I never thought that my parents and Baekhyun’s dad would be so… s-so biased and prejudiced. Before I met you, I never thought much about vampires and werewolves,” Kyungsoo said, taking his face out of the pillow to look into Jongin’s soft eyes.

“I never hated those werewolves up in my world. Maybe I—I mean, I might’ve been a little scared, but I was only as scared as the rest of everyone. It never crossed my mind that my parents would hate your kind,” Kyungsoo said, feeling a numbing pain blossoming in his chest. It made his tears go away, but he felt like he was about to fall apart soon.

“How could I have been so _stupid_ , Jongin?” Kyungsoo croaked. Jongin hugged him to his chest, kissing the top of his head and rubbing his back soothingly. “I’m sorry things didn’t go as planned, my love,” he replied. Kyungsoo held onto him, afraid of breaking into little pieces like Tao in his dream.

“I’m sorry too,” Kyungsoo murmured back, trying to hide in Jongin’s embrace. He wanted to hide from the pain in his chest, the pain in his father’s face when he tried to explain things to him, the pain of leaving his world behind.

 _At least I’m not crying_ , Kyungsoo thought. That was the only accomplishment he could say for himself today.

“I’m never going to get my degree,” Kyungsoo said, suddenly remembering about college. And Baekhyun would never achieve his lifelong dream of becoming a singer. They had spent more than half of their lives trying to get somewhere in their world, and to be somebody in life, only to throw it all away _. For love_ , Kyungsoo thought, cringing at himself.

Jongin furrowed his eyebrows at him. “Are you alright, love?” he asked. Kyungsoo nodded, waving his worrying hands away. “I’m fine, I just… I think I need some sleep and time to think about everything,” Kyungsoo said. Perhaps this was what Jongin had meant. _Time to think everything through_. 

 _But I don’t have a lot of time, and I don’t want anything else if I don’t have him_ , Kyungsoo thought to himself. It didn’t matter that he had to be ostracised from his own world like an outcast, that his family couldn’t see him the way they used to anymore. None of that mattered. Only Jongin mattered, and that was reason enough for Kyungsoo.

“Everything I do is for you,” Kyungsoo murmured to Jongin. He took Jongin’s hand and kissed it, brushing his lips against his bracelet. “Everything, Jongin. I love you,” he said, meaning every word. Jongin smiled a little, caressing his face. “I love you too, _min kjærlighet._ More so every day _.”_

*

Kyungsoo was in pain.

He was up in the air, floating above the Lycanfort castle and dripping blood to the ground while a creature gripped him by the collar, snarling at him. “Are you ready to die?” it asked. It spoke in Yifan’s voice, surprising Kyungsoo. _But this is his true form_ , his subconscious echoed at him.

 _His true form?_ Kyungsoo thought in disbelief. Since when did Yifan have pale white, leathery skin and the face of Satan?

“Are you ready to die?” Yifan repeated, his wings making a whoosh sound as they flapped. His claws dug into Kyungsoo’s neck, making him choke. “J-Jongin,” Kyungsoo choked, dropping a sword he didn’t know he was holding.

“Jongin!” Kyungsoo gasped, kicking his legs helplessly. He tried to pry Yifan’s fingers free, but there was no use, he was far too strong—

Yifan released him abruptly, staring at him in shock. “ _No_ ,” he whispered.

Kyungsoo watched as Yifan began to crack like a mirror, deep lines appearing in his face. Yifan shuddered violently, holding up his hands to his face in horror. _Why is this happening?_ Kyungsoo thought, inhaling a lungful of oxygen. He felt himself being pulled downwards by gravity, floating like a feather down to the ground.

Yifan began to break, little pieces of him falling to the ground all round Kyungsoo. “No,” Kyungsoo heard him whisper once more. He sounded sorrowful, regretful… All the words Kyungsoo could think of to describe heartbroken.

Kyungsoo opened his eyes, breathing heavily. He was a little sweaty beneath the heavy sheets so he kicked them away, feeling unreasonably claustrophobic. Kyungsoo sat up, putting a hand to his clammy forehead. Jongin was still asleep, but Kyungsoo felt like anything but sleepy.

Jongin had told Kyungsoo that Yifan had died after he had realized Tao had been staked. He couldn’t remember what had happened on that day, but was his dream a memory?

Kyungsoo remembered when Yifan had come to see him at night, and he had slapped Yifan hard enough to make his face break. _Did… Did he die like that? Shattering into little pieces?_ It didn’t seem like the right way to die.

He got out of bed, too shaken to sleep. Kyungsoo glanced at Jongin’s sleeping figure to make sure he was still asleep, brushing hair out of his eyes. Jongin didn’t react at all. _Such a heavy sleeper_ , Kyungsoo noted, kissing his cheek. Moonlight brought the shadows in Jongin’s features, dyeing his skin a shimmery white.

 _Clearly he’s the pretty one between us_ , Kyungsoo thought fondly.

Kyungsoo left the room and shut the door behind him as quietly as he could manage. Not a single servant was to be seen, and he had a sense of déjà vu; he had done this before, sneaking out of his room to find no one outside the halls. But this time, he wasn’t looking for Jongin, and neither was there a party.

He made his way to Baekhyun’s room, shivering when a draft howled through the castle. It was eerie to hear, especially after his dream. Kyungsoo shuddered, and scurried along.

Rapping on his door, Sehun opened the door in surprise. “Kyungsoo? Aren’t you supposed to be asleep?” he asked.

“Is Luhan here?” Kyungsoo replied, ignoring his question. “He just left awhile ago to sleep. Did something happen?” Sehun asked. Baekhyun looked up from his bed, and smiled when he saw that it was Kyungsoo.

“Hey,” he said, eyes swollen and dry. “Hi,” Kyungsoo returned his greeting, sitting beside him. “Have you been crying this whole time?”

“I stopped when Luhan left,” Baekhyun sniffed. Chanyeol was already sleeping on the other side of the bed, a blanket thrown over his face. Kyungsoo wondered if Baekhyun was trying to suffocate his boyfriend. “Why are you still here if Luhan’s gone?” Kyungsoo turned to Sehun.

“We were about to practice,” Sehun muttered in embarrassment. “Jongdae’s too busy to teach Baekhyun for now, so...” Sehun shrugged.

“Oh. I just. I came because I had this weird dream, and Jongin wasn’t awake, but I didn’t feel like sleeping,” Kyungsoo said, feeling his cheeks burn. Suddenly his dream didn’t feel so scary when he was in the presence of his friends.

“What dream?” Baekhyun asked curiously, hugging a pillow to himself.

“I don’t know, it was kinda weird. I was flying, or floating in the sky, and I could see the castle at my feet. It was dark, and this thing, this—It was really disgusting, but it—”

“It had the voice of Yifan?” Baekhyun guessed. Kyungsoo cocked his head to one side. “How’d you know?”

“That wasn’t a dream, Kyungsoo,” Sehun shook his head, sitting at the foot of the bed. “It was a memory. Your own memories of the war, that is,” he added. Kyungsoo could hardly believe it.

“Then… Did Yifan die like that? Just breaking into pieces and disappearing into ash?” Kyungsoo asked. Sehun nodded calmly. “That’s how we all die.”

Kyungsoo couldn’t imagine Baekhyun dying like that. Baekhyun didn’t have that kind of refined, fragile beauty Yifan and Tao had. He was just a boy-next-door sort of guy. It was what Chanyeol liked about him, after all, and to associate Baekhyun breaking into tiny slivers of glass like a broken mirror was hard to think about.

 “What about… me? What if I want to Turn, and what if it fails? Do I just… shatter?” Kyungsoo asked Sehun.

“You want to Turn into a vampire?” he furrowed his eyebrows at Kyungsoo. “Hold up, Kyungsoo, I don’t think you’ll be able to handle the spells,” Baekhyun began to say.

“No, well, maybe not a vampire, but—” Kyungsoo took a deep breath. “I-I’m thinking of Turning. Into what exactly, I don’t know yet, but I’m quite sure of it,” he said. Kyungsoo supposed now was as good a time as any, since he had been planning on breaking this bit of news to them in the morning anyway.

Baekhyun leaned back on the headboard of the bed. “You really want to do it?” he asked, eyes widened. Sehun didn’t look like he was particularly bothered with this piece of news. Kyungsoo bit his lip, nodding.

“When did you think about it?” Baekhyun asked.

“Officially? Today, I guess. Unofficially… Well, it’s been in the back of my mind. I don’t know any other way to have more time with Jongin anyway.” Baekhyun nodded in quiet comprehension.

“About your question,” Sehun cut in. “Mm?” Kyungsoo turned his body to face him.

“If you want to become a vampire, then yes, that is ultimately how you’ll end up if the Turning process fails. Your temperature will spike up, and if your body can’t take it, you break,” Sehun stated matter-of-factly.

“But haven’t you considered Turning into a werewolf? Then your lifespans would be similar, rather than unbalanced,” Sehun said.

“Unbalanced as in… I would be immortal, but Jongin still dies of old age some day?” Kyungsoo said, to be sure.

“Yes, that’s right. Someone could finish you off if you wanted to follow after Kai, but maybe…” Sehun shrugged. “We Europeans like to think we have no souls. Kai’s soul might be in heaven, but you might just be ashes,” Sehun smiled humourlessly.

“Don’t be silly, of course you all have souls,” Kyungsoo scoffed. “Really? Then you think people like Yifan had souls when they were alive?” Sehun asked.

“Humans can be bad or good, but we all still have souls. It’s only a matter of redemption, I think. People like Yifan might’ve been gone too far to be able to save him,” Kyungsoo said wistfully, feeling just a tiny bit sorry for him.

“Besides, Sehun, I thought there was no way a Pureblood could Turn into a werewolf,” Kyungsoo said, folding his arms. Sehun rolled his eyes. “There’s always a way. Only maybe, it might not give you what you want,” Sehun said, folding his arms.

“Don’t be fucking cryptic, or I’ll tell on you,” Baekhyun warned, effectively making Sehun sputter in protest.

“Tell on him to who?” Kyungsoo asked in amazement.

“To Luhan, of course. He’s supposed to be helpful,” Baekhyun said, emphasising on ‘helpful’. “I don’t cryptic is listed under helpful,” Baekhyun pretended to tap on his chin thoughtfully. “Tsk”. I was going to tell you both in a minute,” Sehun tutted.

Kyungsoo motioned for him to go on.

“There’s always been a legend that a Pureblood can Turn into a werewolf, but he or she will never have the lifespan of a werewolf. That’s why nobody’s ever attempted it, since there’s no guarantee you’ll survive it, and no way of knowing you’ll be living for a long time. But the alchemy is simple, actually. You don’t necessarily have to change into a vampire or werewolf to be immortal. Or at least to live for a long time.”

“You mean you can conjure up a spell for me to live an extra long life,” Kyungsoo tried to guess.

“Yes, I suppose you could say that. But I can’t promise you a spell, because it’s not written in _Den Boken av Kaos_. I’ll have to ask a few of my friends back in Europe for help, but I don’t see why we can’t do it.”

“Really?” Kyungsoo said in excitement. “Wait, this is guaranteed though, right?” Baekhyun asked cautiously. Sehun shook his head. “I don’t think so. You _might_ die from the ingredients if you are incompatible with the alchemy or something,” Sehun said.

Kyungsoo’s shoulders sagged, deflated. “I thought I had a solution,” he mumbled.

“It’s not a solution, Kyungsoo, but then again, neither is Turning. If you want, I can look into Turning Purebloods into werewolves, but if I don’t come up with anything, then I’ll start on the spell for you,” Sehun said. “I wouldn’t want to be the one who Turns you anyhow. What if it goes wrong, then who will Kai blame?” he said nonchalantly.

“I guess that’s better than nothing. Jongin gave me a week to think about everything anyway,” Kyungsoo said, shrugging.

“He gave you a week? What, are you on Turning probation?” Baekhyun asked, lifting an eyebrow. Kyungsoo laughed, pushing his head away.

“I’m not on a fucking probation, oh my God, no. He just wants me to think about it, really simmer about it. I don’t see why though, I mean. I would still try anything else to have more time with him.”

“He’s like your dad now. Kinky,” Baekhyun remarked. Kyungsoo glared at him, knowing it was useless to stick two fingers up his solar plexus now. If he had been human, he would’ve been on the ground in pain.

“Yeah, whatever. As if you and Chanyeol have the healthiest relationship around,” Kyungsoo replied snarkily. “Sure we do. Ask Sehun about it,” Baekhyun chirped.

“No no, I’m not hearing anything about your sex life,” Kyungsoo shook his head, shielding his eyes in fear of graphic material. He had seen a video on Baekhyun’s laptop, and on the thumbnail it was Baekhyun and Chanyeol dressed like a nurse and doctor respectively. He dreaded to think what else they’d been recording since then.

“Um no, it’s not about sex, Soo. Not everything is about banging, excuse you,” Baekhyun said sassily. “It’s about our decision to Turn Chanyeol!” Baekhyun screamed, throwing his hands up in the air. “Honestly, this has been the only good thing that has happened these past few days, beside the party a few days ago,” Baekhyun grumbled.

“I can’t help but feel sorry for all of us about our parents,” Kyungsoo said, feeling his heart sink to his stomach when he thought about it again. He wondered if his mother had destroyed the tea cup set; it would’ve been really pretty at home.

“Weirdly enough, I feel sorry as well,” Sehun remarked. They were all sorry, in some way or other. 

** Yes, I do, I believe that one day I will where I was right there (right next to you) **

The next morning, Kyungsoo woke up when the sun was high up in the sky, since he stayed up with Baekhyun and Sehun till it was almost dawn. Sehun had given Kyungsoo his word that he would find a solution for Kyungsoo, and he trusted that he would keep his promise. Sehun wasn’t in a position to break his promise anyway, since Luhan had already heard about it by the time Kyungsoo went to the dining hall for brunch.

“Good morning, Kyungsoo, or should I say good afternoon?” Luhan said loudly and brightly the second he set foot into the dining hall.

“Um. Hi. Yeah, afternoon, I guess,” Kyungsoo mumbled, taking a seat across Luhan. Jongin-less mornings subdued Kyungsoo’s overall mood. He noticed there was no food on a plate in front of Luhan but instead, surprisingly multiple large stacks of old and wrinkled books before him.

“You studying for something?” Kyungsoo motioned at the books. “Well, I’m helping Sehun with his research. For you, of course,” Luhan said, flipping the pages of a very thick and large book. Dust floated away from the pages. 

“Oh. So he told you? Already?” Kyungsoo asked. A servant noticed him and went right back into the kitchen to get his meal. “Yes, he did, and he brought me these few books from the library for me, and told me to bookmark anything that seemed useful,” Luhan said. “Which is everything, really, there are myths, proven facts, a few spells here and there… I never knew Turning was such a widely debated topic!”

Kyungsoo was speechless. Surely being a royal around here must have meant studying at some point? “Okay... Have you, um, found anything good?” Kyungsoo asked hesitantly, since there wasn’t much else he could say. He only knew so much about Turning.

“Why yes! But I think I should let Sehun deal with it first before showing any of it to you,” Luhan replied. Kyungsoo nodded slowly. “So you _have_ found something?”

“Like I said, Kyungsoo,” Luhan waggled a finger at him. “I don’t want to hype you up about something that might not even work. Is that how you use the word? Hype?” Luhan said. “I learned it from Baekhyun yesterday.”

“I guess,” Kyungsoo shrugged. The servant from before returned to the hall with a platter of cheese and bread, along with some sort of weirdly named fruit juice. Most likely, the fruit wasn’t one that he was familiar with in his own world. “Kai loves that drink,” Luhan told him when the servant left. “He has a cup of that every morning.” _Oh God, not the juice scenario again_ , Kyungsoo thought.

“Ugh, I don’t think I want to try anything he likes. The last one tasted like crap,” Kyungsoo said, blanching and pushing the cup away. “No, it’s nice. Seriously, give it a try! How are you going to live with Kai and his fruit juice loving if you’re like this with every cup?” Luhan demanded. 

“I’ll deal with it someway,” Kyungsoo said, slicing a bit of Brie cheese and buttering up his bun. Luhan tutted at him. “You know, love is about getting to know each other and experiencing things together.”

“No, I think that’s marriage,” Kyungsoo replied, biting into his bun. “And I’m fine with his fruit juice fetish or whatever. It doesn’t mean I have to join him and drink his health stuff,” Kyungsoo rolled his eyes. The Brie cheese was nice though. Maybe a little salad would make it even better—

“What? Are you for real? I make it a point to have Sehun join me whenever I want new curtains put up in my room,” Luhan folded his arms. “I’m not saying every relationship has to be like that—” Kyungsoo started to say.

“But I’ve been sitting at the garden every night watching Sehun practice magic even though I think it’s boring!” Luhan exclaimed. “Er, well, that’s what you do to show that you love and support him,” Kyungsoo said. “So you don’t support Kai’s choice of fruit juice?” Luhan narrowed his eyes. Kyungsoo couldn’t quite believe he was arguing about juice with Luhan, but that was the reality of his sad life.

Kyungsoo answered warily, “No, that’s… not it. He can like whatever he wants, and I can like whatever I want.”

“You are in a very strange relationship with my brother, I must say,” Luhan pursed his lips, pretending to scan something very seriously in a book. “I’m not the only one in a strange relationship,” Kyungsoo muttered. “Help me with all this cheese,” Kyungsoo said, pointing at the platter. He didn’t want to be morbidly obese by nightfall.

Luhan leapt at the offer and snatched away a small block of cheddar from his platter, biting into it like it was a slice of cake. Kyungsoo had to remind himself that Luhan was someone he might have to face till the end of his life, and suddenly eternity with Jongin seemed like a long time if he was going to have to live side by side with Luhan.

“Have you seen Jongin around? He wasn’t in bed when I got up,” Kyungsoo said, nibbling on the crust of his bun. Luhan thought about it.

“Well, I had breakfast with him, but he left without telling me where he was going. His office, maybe. Why? Are you going to insult him on how you think his favourite fruit juice is disgusting?” Luhan asked. Kyungsoo threw his bun at Luhan’s indignant face.

“No, ‘cause I love him,” Kyungsoo huffed. “I think I’ll have the rest of my meal with your brother if you’re so annoying,” Kyungsoo said. “Oh goodness no, don’t leave me, I’ve been alone for an hour,” Luhan whined, sweeping all the books aside and climbing on the table, shoving his face dangerously close to Kyungsoo’s platter of cheese.

“I don’t think I want to know how you’ll be if you were alone for a day,” Kyungsoo said, settling back into his seat. Luhan picked up another piece of blue cheese from his platter, stealing a small bun as well. “Kai hates cheese anyway. He won’t want to be near you if he can smell it on your breath,” Luhan laughed.

Kyungsoo frowned. “What kind of person hates cheese?” Kyungsoo asked.

“My brother. I think he’s allergic to it or something,” Luhan shrugged, putting his feet up. That was something new to Kyungsoo. But he tried not to feel weird about it; cheese wasn’t something that came up very often in their conversations. It did, however, make him feel like there was still so much more to Jongin he didn’t know.

Furthermore, it just made him feel even more determined about spending eternity with Jongin. He had done so much for Kyungsoo, and it just seemed right to do this for him. There wasn’t much else he could do for him anyway.

After brunch, Kyungsoo practically peeled Luhan off of him and scurried to Jongin’s office to escape Luhan’s grasp. There was something he still needed from his own world, even though he had practically sworn it off last night.

“Jongin?” Kyungsoo squeaked, peeking through the door. Jongin was having some sort of important discussion with Suho, gesturing at papers and so forth, but he glanced up at Kyungsoo and gave him a brief, warm smile.

“Hello, love,” Jongin greeted him. Kyungsoo shuffled into the office meekly, shutting the door just in case Luhan had any ideas about suddenly barging in.

“Hi. Uh, do you have a moment o-or is this like a bad time? ‘Cause I can always come back—” Kyungsoo babbled. Would Jongin really sniff out the cheese on his breath? Maybe he should’ve gargled before coming here—

 “No, love, we were almost done anyway. I think it’s settled then, Suho. You can see me if there’s anything else,” Jongin said to Suho, getting up from his seat and pulling Kyungsoo into an impromptu hug. Kyungsoo sputtered at him before patting him awkwardly, pressing his face into his shoulder.

Suho was unfazed by Jongin’s blatant show of PDA, collecting his papers from the desk and rearranging them. “Yes, Master. I’ll be off to Europe at once,” he said, bowing slightly. He left, shutting the door behind him.

“Is he going to see Jongdae?” Kyungsoo whispered in Jongin’s ear. “After he settles the bill, maybe,” Jongin shrugged, kissing him on the forehead. “How are you, love?” he smiled.

“I’m fine. Please let me go,” Kyungsoo said, feeling embarrassed. Jongin relinquished his grip on Kyungsoo, laughing. “I forget how modest you are, my love,” he said, ruffling Kyungsoo’s hair. Kyungsoo scowled at him. “I’m just not used to it is all. Whenever Chanyeol and Baekhyun hug or touch each other, it usually gets quite ugly, so maybe I’ve been traumatised.”

“Oh. Well, they’re not us, are they? Now what is it you wanted to talk to me about?” Jongin asked, taking his hands and rubbing his thumbs over Kyungsoo’s hands. “Um, it’s about my world. Still. Ugh, I know, why can’t it be over yet, but yeah, I still need to go back up there,” Kyungsoo sighed. Jongin lifted an eyebrow at him.

“Why, love? Do you still wish to speak to your parents?”

“No, it’s not about them anymore. Forget about them,” Kyungsoo said, trying not to wince at the thought of his parents. The memory of their rejection was still fresh in his mind, but he was resolute on not thinking about it. If anything, it was like nicked skin; it only hurt whenever he bumped into it, or in this case, thought about it.

“It’s just um… You know, I’m not exactly a fan of your world’s fashion. Not that I’m extremely fashionable in any sense, it’s—I just want my own clothes, y’know?” Kyungsoo said, trying not to sound racist or fashionist or whatever the right terminology was about his objection to Jongin’s wardrobe. It wasn’t as if he didn’t like it, the clothes just didn’t look good on him, and he wasn’t about to put on robes like Luhan or Baekhyun.

“Oh. If it’s just clothes, then I can easily arrange to have some tailored for you,” Jongin said seriously. “No, I—I—I just want my own clothes, Jongin. Please. I just need to go back up to my world, sneak into my house when no one is in, and get my clothes. That’s all,” Kyungsoo said. “Oh, and maybe stop by at Baekhyun’s and Chanyeol’s place as well. They’re gonna need some of their own clothes, even if Baekhyun thinks he likes the robes for now,” Kyungsoo added. Wait till Baekhyun got sick of all his robes. He was going to thank Kyungsoo for bringing his entire wardrobe back.

“Would you like to go now?” Jongin asked.

“Well, I was hoping—”

“Go where? Up to the Pureblood world? Count me in, whatever it is,” Luhan said, seated nicely on top of Jongin’s table.

“Luhan?” Both Jongin and Kyungsoo said incredulously. “How the fuck did you even get in?” Kyungsoo said, glaring at him. He wasn’t about to have Luhan ‘chaperoning’ them again.

“Suho let me in,” Luhan said in a condescending tone. “Why? Were you both supposed to be on a rendezvous? Please, don’t let me interrupt your plans,” he said breezily.

“This is the only real reason why I doubt we’ll last,” Kyungsoo muttered to Jongin. He shrugged apologetically. Kyungsoo sighed, looking at Luhan perched on the table with his robes spilling everywhere. “I suppose you could come along. Jongin can’t lug all the clothes back alone, and only I know where the wardrobes are. Or Chanyeol could come along too,” Kyungsoo said thoughtfully.

“Oh yes, I agree! An adventure! The more, the merrier, my dear,” Luhan clapped excitedly, getting off the table and running out of the office, presumably to drag Chanyeol out of bed.

“I wasn’t even done considering bringing Chanyeol,” Kyungsoo protested. Jongin laughed, sneakily sliding an arm around Kyungsoo from behind. “It’ll be fine, love. There’s no need for caution, not anymore,” he said, kissing Kyungsoo’s temple.

“Or maybe you’re afraid you can’t carry all the clothes,” Kyungsoo teased, turning around and throwing his arms around Jongin.

“Will there be… a lot of it?” he asked.

“Chanyeol’s still human for now, and I don’t think becoming a vampire will change his taste. In case you didn’t notice, I’m not the only one who doesn’t want to put on clothes like yours,” Kyungsoo pointed out. Chanyeol was very particular about his kid-from-the-wrong-side-of-the-tracks-trying-to-get-high-on-anything image, and he would rather die than put on leathery clothes, vests, or robes.

“It would be conspicuous to take large amounts of clothes, no?” Jongin frowned.

“Aw, come on! My parents are just gonna throw it away anyway, my brother can’t fit into my size. And Chanyeol only has an older sister, so,” Kyungsoo said. “If you insist, love,” Jongin smiled. “I do insist on it. I intend on putting off those robes for at least thirty years,” Kyungsoo buried his face into Jongin’s neck.

“Luhan tells me they’re extremely comfortable,” Jongin said, inhaling Kyungsoo’s scent.

“Yeah, he would. I just don’t like how it makes me look so… so girly. It’s not me.” Kyungsoo noticed that the garden outside Jongin’s window was already patched up.

“The flowers haven’t grown yet, have they?” Kyungsoo said, pointing out the window. “Mm. Their season’s almost past, so the servants will be replanting new flowers for spring,” Jongin told him.

“Oh. You mean the flowers change each season?”

“Yes, that’s right, my love. Would you like to pick out which flowers will be replanted this spring?” Jongin asked.

“I don’t know much about flowers,” Kyungsoo said sheepishly. “It’s alright, love, there will be plenty of time for me to teach you all these things,” Jongin smiled. Kyungsoo bit his lip shyly.

*

After only ten seconds of explaining everything to Chanyeol, he gave his affirmation and agreed to come along. Luhan almost screamed with happiness, and went to ‘dress up’. Kyungsoo didn’t want to imagine what he might put on. Jongin, on the other hand, left Kyungsoo and Chanyeol by the gardens to bring the horses around. Kyungsoo told him to hurry up; if Luhan wasn’t here by the time he came around with the horses, they would leave him. 

“Do you think the park outside the town hall will be open?” Chanyeol asked thoughtfully, when Jongin was gone. Kyungsoo blinked at him.

“I don’t know, is it Christmas Eve yet?” Kyungsoo replied. “I’m guessing it is. Might be dark, or it might be bright out,” Chanyeol shrugged. “Why? Do you wanna do the thing?” Kyungsoo asked.

“What thing?”

“Don’t pretend you don’t know. There’s only one reason you wanna be outside the town hall on Christmas Eve,” Kyungsoo laughed. Chanyeol blushed a deep red. Chanyeol and Baekhyun had their first kiss on Christmas Eve when snow was just starting drift down from the heavens, by a frozen fountain in front of the town hall. Kyungsoo only knew this because Baekhyun would dump him for Chanyeol to reminisce about their first kiss at the very same spot every year. It was an unspoken consensus between all couples in town that the town hall was _the_ romantic spot for couples to be moderately intimate in public.

“Maybe someone can wake Baekhyun up. It would make the whole Portal business easier too,” Kyungsoo suggested. Chanyeol rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably. “Nah, I think… I don’t know, Kyungsoo. I mean, what do you think? Should I let go of the past, or is it weird to want to go back one last time?”

“I think there’s nothing wrong about paying a visit to the fountain and saying goodbye to it,” Kyungsoo said softly. “The place held good memories for you, right? I think it’d be alright to feel nostalgic.” Chanyeol pursed his lips, looking thoughtful.

“Maybe… if we have time for it,” Chanyeol said hesitantly. “Just one more time, for good times’ sake.”

Kyungsoo nodded. “Yeah. For good times’ sake.” That was a nice and bland way to put it. They stared blankly at the patches of packed soil in front of them. “You know anything good about flowers?” Kyungsoo asked offhandedly. Chanyeol was known to be knowledgeable about the strangest things.

“Mom loves gardening. I can tell the difference between flowers,” Chanyeol nodded. Kyungsoo was mildly surprised. “Oh? Well then, do you think it’s cheesy to want to have red roses growing in the garden?” Kyungsoo asked. That was the best flower he could think of.

“There’ll be thorns, do you want people to get hurt?” Chanyeol replied.

“I think you can be the royal gardener here,” Kyungsoo concluded. Chanyeol chuckled. “I got immortality and a job offer on my plate,” he laughed, kicking a stray stone at his feet. Kyungsoo stifled a smile as well.

“Yeah well. Universe is good to you,” he shrugged. Jongin appeared from around the corner, guiding two horses by the reins. “Ah, here he is. Is Luhan around?” Kyungsoo asked, taking a quick glance around. Luhan was not to be seen at all, not his frivolous robes, not his dark and silky hair...

“Nope. Let’s ditch him,” Kyungsoo said, skipping down the steps to help Jongin and the stable boy with the horses. “Chanyeol, get on and we’re gone,” Kyungsoo said, scurrying to heave himself up the horse. Jongin gave his bum a helpful push and Kyungsoo blew him a little spontaneous kiss in thanks, blushing madly when Jongin gave him a blinding smile.

“Oi! Wait for me!” Kyungsoo heard as he watched Jongin swing himself over his own horse. Kyungsoo groaned silently and turned to the French doors. There Luhan was, running towards them in a plain flowy set of robes and a small backpack on his back. “Oh God,” Kyungsoo couldn’t help saying.

Sadly, Luhan heard him. “Sorry I took so long,” Luhan said, tossing his head back with a devious smile as he approached them. “I took the liberty of packing an extra outfit for when we reach the other side of the Portal. Would you like to see it?” And before Kyungsoo could even stop him Luhan poured the contents of his backpack out onto the grass and showed off a pair of dark blue skinny jeans and a plain T-shirt with some words printed on it.

“It’s winter up in my world too, you know. You’re obviously not going to be dressed for winter,” Kyungsoo said to Luhan in a snarky tone. “Winter phobia is for losers,” Luhan said, stuffing everything back into his bag viciously and snatching the reins from the meek stable boy. Kyungsoo was fairly sure he had heard that from Baekhyun; why else would he be dressed in a round neck T-shirt and skinny jeans?

 “Are you gonna wear underwear?” Kyungsoo suddenly asked. Luhan scoffed at him as he got on the horse. “Don’t be bloody ridiculous.” He made the horse trot around in a circle, cooing at it gently.

Kyungsoo was never going to let Luhan near his clothes _ever_. “Are you alright, love?” Jongin asked. Kyungsoo nodded stiffly. “Yeah, Soo, you look a little green,” Chanyeol remarked.

“You would be if you heard what Luhan just said to me,” Kyungsoo mumbled, nudging the horse to go forward. “Are we going or not?!” Luhan shouted at them from a few feet away. Jongin looked at Kyungsoo, and he gave a nod.

“What are we waiting for?” Kyungsoo shrugged.

They rode slowly to the Portal, to Kyungsoo’s relief and Luhan’s chagrin. He was anxious to show off his ‘outfit’ to the fashion-deprived people of Kyungsoo’s town, and he was annoyed that Kyungsoo and Chanyeol weren’t comfortable with riding a horse at a fast pace. Jongin was more than happy to wait patiently for Kyungsoo, but even he wasn’t spared from Luhan’s annoyance.

“You spoil him too much, Kai, that’s why he’s slow,” he grumbled. Kyungsoo gave him a dirty look. Luhan was going to have to watch his back if he wanted to make it back to Lycanfort in one piece. “Impatience doesn’t look good on you, Luhan,” Jongin said calmly.

“Neither will that top,” Kyungsoo added. “Like hell it doesn’t,” Luhan shot back. Kyungsoo wanted to throw a rock at him. The stable boy looked like he was afraid a second war might ensue right before his eyes.

“How long do you think it’ll take for everyone to notice that we’re up there later on?” Kyungsoo asked Chanyeol. Luhan inevitably butted in and said, “One hour, tops.”

“Wanna bet on it?” Chanyeol said. Luhan turned around to face them with a scary smile. “I’ve never lost a bet. Are you sure?” he said. Kyungsoo shrugged. “Why not? First bet I’ll ever place in Lycanfort.”

“I think we’ll be noticed maybe after we stop by Baekhyun’s place. That woman living next to door to him is always tending to her garden and watching out for anything interesting,” Chanyeol said. “Back door?” Kyungsoo said.

“Back door’s locked all the time,” Chanyeol informed him. “Well yeah, but we have Jongin here with us,” Kyungsoo beamed proudly at Jongin. He looked a bit clueless on what they meant but smiled uncertainly. “I shall be willing to help in any form,” he assured them.

“My turn to place a bet then,” Kyungsoo said, patting Jongin’s hand. “I say we’ll be spotted once we’re in front of the town hall. You _know_ everyone’s gonna be there if it’s Christmas Eve.”

“But I don’t think our friends there are gonna tell on us,” Chanyeol protested. “Especially since Kai and Luhan don’t really look like werewolves in Pureblood form. At most, we’ll probably be really popular on Instagram for a while.”

“Okay, so the bet is when we’ll be spotted, but I think it’s more appropriate if it’s like, y’know, when someone acknowledges our disappearance,” Kyungsoo said. Luhan nodded, “I still stand by my answer.” Chanyeol agreed that the bet was now more specific, and winning it would only make it even more fun.

“Right. How much are we betting then?” Luhan said.

“Five gold coins,” Chanyeol suggested. “Do you have five gold coins to loan me?” Kyungsoo whispered to Jongin. He nodded and smiled. “Five gold coins are perfect,” Kyungsoo cleared his throat. It was official; it was Kyungsoo’s first bet in Lycanfort ever.

*

“Oh. My. God,” Kyungsoo gritted his teeth as he stepped out of the freezing cold Portal and into the even colder atmosphere of the Pureblood world. Snowflakes were floating in the wind, and Kyungsoo could hardly breathe from the cold.

“Are you alright, love?” Jongin said, concern colouring his voice as he dumped his waterproof backpack down on the ground for Luhan to rummage through it. Luhan didn’t look very bothered by the cold wind, and neither did Jongin, but Kyungsoo and Chanyeol’s teeth were chattering away.

It was late evening, Kyungsoo noticed, out here in the Pureblood world. Luhan flung a towel at everyone, and Jongin wrapped his own around Kyungsoo first. “I hate this. Period,” Kyungsoo said, clinging onto the towels. Luhan dried himself off fairly quickly, almost forgetting to hand over his own backpack to Chanyeol.

“I’m gonna dry off and change in another room,” he muttered, exiting the bathroom with his extra set of clothes in hand (Luhan was kind enough to pack for him). “And I will stay here because I am committed to my job,” Luhan announced, throwing off his robes and flinging it aside like a piece of meat. Kyungsoo had to look away from Luhan; he wasn’t as delicate as he looked.

Jongin looked like he wanted to kill himself, but otherwise ignored Luhan as well, trying to dry Kyungsoo’s hair as fast as he could. “You know, I’m fine. You can just dress up and I’ll be done in a minute,” Kyungsoo said under his breath.

“You might get sick if your hair is wet all day,” Jongin said. “I wouldn’t want you to fall sick,” he smiled. Kyungsoo tried to pretend like his heart didn’t just skip a beat. When was he ever going to be over with this shy feeling every time Jongin said things like that? “What if _you_ get sick instead?” Kyungsoo asked. 

Jongin’s hair was dripping wet, as was the rest of him. “You’ll have to nurse me back to health then,” he replied calmly, draping the towel over his head, apparently satisfied with his half dried hair. “So you can’t worry about me, but it’s okay if it’s vice versa?” Kyungsoo teased, handing the towel back to Jongin. “If you ever fell sick, love, I’d be sick with worry,” Jongin smiled. Luhan rolled his eyes at them.

“I’ll um. I’ll just go a-a-and change,” Kyungsoo stuttered, blushing even harder. He bent down to pick up Jongin’s bag, grimacing when he realized Jongin had packed a thick half leather half cotton long sleeved top of some sort and loose linen pants. “I’ll look like a hybrid Jesus in this,” Kyungsoo remarked, holding out the pants.

“Is it the same Jesus from Christmas?” Jongin asked innocently. Kyungsoo nodded. Luhan had the nerve to laugh while he put on his clothes. Kyungsoo was going to have to murder him soon. “I’m done changing, Soo. You can just take everything off here,” Luhan said, putting on Baekhyun’s sneakers.

“Fine. Get out, please,” Kyungsoo said, bracing himself for the cold air and throwing off his towel. The shivering came back almost instantaneously, and Kyungsoo hurriedly unbuttoned his wet coat, dropping it to the ground. Luhan left the room and there was a short scream from Chanyeol a second later, so Kyungsoo assumed Chanyeol caught Luhan spying on him.

While Kyungsoo undressed, he tried his best to keep his eyes off of Jongin’s wonderfully nude body. Really, at night he looked ethereal under the moonlight and at sunset, shades of orange and red colouring his skin, he was more than beautiful. He was that word beyond beautiful, whatever it was, and Kyungsoo could never tire of seeing his hot bod.

After finding a spot where they could hang their clothes to dry, they started walking towards town, all of them with towels on their heads. Chanyeol started sneezing long before they ever reached the main road, and Kyungsoo wondered if they should risk a quick stop at Walmart to get him some cold medicine.

“Do you think you’ll be okay?” Kyungsoo asked him. Chanyeol nodded, his nose a bright red like Rudolph the reindeer. “When we get back, maybe Baek can try his healing spell on you,” Luhan suggested, which brightened him up a little. “We won’t take too long then,” Kyungsoo patted Chanyeol’s arm.

“Let’s just get our clothes and go,” Chanyeol agreed. They then hurried together in a little group, crossing streets to head to the closest house in the area; Baekhyun’s place.

It turns out they were in luck because it was Christmas Eve, and Baekhyun’s place was empty. In fact, the entire street was empty, and they went around to Baekhyun’s back entrance to try their luck.

Chanyeol decided to stand watch at the end of the street for any passing cars or people, and jogged away from them. “Shit, it’s really locked,” Kyungsoo muttered when he jiggled the padlock. “Right, well. I didn’t want to do this but,” Kyungsoo said, stepping aside. “Jongin, I believe in your strength,” he said, looking up at him. Jongin looked baffled. “Pardon?”

“Do you think you or Luhan can break this thing apart?” Kyungsoo asked, pointing at the padlock. Luhan observed it, feeling the cold metal in his hand. “It’s just regular metal,” he commented.

“So? You can do it?” Kyungsoo said.

“The angle is a bit awkward, but I’ll manage,” Luhan replied, stepping forward to stretch his arm around the gate to get a good grip. Kyungsoo couldn’t believe that even Luhan could manage this, and wondered what else they could pull apart with their own brute strength. He also wondered if they looked like mad robbers with white towels wrapped like turbans over their heads.

Kyungsoo linked arms with Jongin, watching Luhan struggle with it at first. The metal was smooth and slippery so he couldn’t quite hold it properly, but once he dug his fingers in, to Kyungsoo’s amazement, it began to stretch like liquid metal, and soon it was in two separate pieces in Luhan’s hands.

“My God,” Kyungsoo remarked. Luhan dropped the broken padlock on the ground, dusting his hands off. “That was easy,” he said nonchalantly.

Kyungsoo waved at Chanyeol and gave him the okay sign. He did the same, and they headed into the house. Luhan twisted the knob and pushed it inwards, not bothering to take off his shoes. Kyungsoo and Jongin followed suit; the Byuns would realize they’ve ‘robbed’ even if the floors were clean anyway.

Kyungsoo went upstairs to Baekhyun’s room, the scent of freesia in the air. The bed was made, and his desk was cleared up, as usual (Baekhyun was generally quite a neat person). Everything looked normal, and one would never be able to tell that the room had been unused for quite some time. He told Luhan to look for the biggest bag he could find anywhere else in the house while Kyungsoo touched each surface, feeling nostalgic.

“I used to spend a lot of time here,” he whispered to Jongin. Everything in Baekhyun’s room was as familiar to Kyungsoo as his own room, and the thought of being shut out from this place stung a little.

“There’s still time, love,” Jongin whispered back, brushing his lips over his left temple. “No, it won’t change my mind about anything, it’s just…” Kyungsoo trailed off. It was just a little shake in his resolve. That was all. His resolve still stood tall and proud, and Jongin was still worth more than his life here.

“I’ll get the clothes,” he said, turning away to slide his closet open. Kyungsoo didn’t bother to remove each article of clothing from their hangers, just took as much as he could handle and dumped them into Jongin’s arms. Luhan came bounding back with a large roller bag with Baekhyun’s name stuck on it, and Jongin kicked it open, throwing everything in. Kyungsoo decided to take a few of Baekhyun’s favourite books as well, and some of accessories. He knew Baekhyun would appreciate all of it, and tossed everything into the bag.

“Okay. Nothing else then,” Kyungsoo said, when his closet was devoid of clothes and his shelf of miscellaneous items empty.

“I think I’ll drag it back to the Portal and come back to meet all of you,” Luhan said, sitting on his bag to zip it up. The bag was bulging in some places, but Luhan shoved everything in with his weight, zipping it up almost angrily.

“How are you gonna find us?” Kyungsoo asked, watching him struggle with the bag. “I can smell Kai,” was all Luhan said.

“If you think it’s the sensible thing to do then sure,” Kyungsoo said. Luhan stood up, patting the bag for good measure, and dragged it noisily down the stairs. “Are we going to your residence next?” Jongin asked. Kyungsoo nodded as they clumped down the stairs together hand in hand.

“Are you excited to see my place or something?” Kyungsoo laughed. Jongin said yes. “I’ve always wanted to see your residence… It—it would give me a glimpse of who you would’ve be if you never met me,” Jongin mumbled, looking away from Kyungsoo’s gaze. Kyungsoo squeezed his hand comfortingly. “I would’ve been different. And very much human and lonely because there wouldn’t be any you. Never, in a million years, would I ever choose to be alone, Jongin,” he said.

“Still. You could have your normal life, and you wouldn’t have to choose between your family and me,” he insisted. Kyungsoo sighed, reaching the bottom of the stairs. Luhan hustled to the back door, sensing an emotional moment.

“Are we going to rehash this again? I told you, Jongin. I love _you_ , not the future I would’ve had, not the life I used to have. You,” Kyungsoo enunciated the word. “You are the reason why I’m here, Jongin. There’s no need for doubt anymore,” Kyungsoo said confidently. Not even the familiar enveloping warmth of Baekhyun’s home could contest with his feelings for Jongin.

“It makes me happy to hear that, my love,” Jongin smiled weakly. Kyungsoo could tell that Jongin still wasn’t all in about him Turning, but he wasn’t going to let Jongin cockblock himself. No, Kyungsoo was going to stay with him, whether Jongin liked it or not. 

Kyungsoo gave him a kiss on the cheek, pulling him to the back door. Luhan was tapping his foot impatiently outside, and gave a sigh of relief when they came out. Kyungsoo pressed the lock behind him, shutting the door with a muffled slam.

Then Kyungsoo had the most brilliant idea he ever had. “Jongin, wait, I wanna get something out of Baekhyun’s bag,” Kyungsoo said. Unravelling Luhan’s previous dire efforts to keep the bag zipped, Kyungsoo unzipped the bag and stuck a hand into the small gap to feel for something. He didn’t search very long; he remembered it was at the very top of the pile, and soon pulled out Baekhyun’s prized black trench coat, made out of stiff wool.

He shook it out proudly, and handed it to Jongin. “Put it on,” he ordered. Luhan squinted at him. “Can I wear something too? Since Kai’s wearing Baekhyun’s stuff…”

“Baekhyun wouldn’t say anything to Kai because he’s living in _his_ castle, but I don’t know what will happen if you were to wear something of Baekhyun’s,” Kyungsoo said nonchalantly. Luhan scoffed at him, digging for something already. “I’ll risk it,” he said.

Jongin put the coat on, and Kyungsoo messed his hair up a bit to style him up. Baekhyun was one size too small for Jongin, but if he left it unbuttoned Jongin looked downright gorgeous. Kyungsoo wanted to jump on him, but managed to restrain himself by giving him a happy kiss on the lips.

“You look hot,” he said, turning up the collar. Jongin smiled shyly at him, effectively breaking Kyungsoo’s heart into little pieces. Luhan found another one of Baekhyun’s coat and put it on, a classic Burberry knock off, spinning around to make it float at the bottom. “Don’t you just want to eat me?” he said happily.

Chanyeol stared at them with a strange expression from a distance. “Sehun will enjoy it,” Kyungsoo replied kindly. Having revamped the two, they set off again, looking less like anti winter phobics and more like locals. “I think I’ll have to ask Baekhyun and see if he’ll let you keep this,” Kyungsoo said, holding hands with Jongin.

“Does it look nice on me?” Jongin asked. “You look like you were born for trench coats, my love,” Kyungsoo said, before laughing. Chanyeol looked like he wanted to throttle Jongin (because he loved it whenever Baekhyun put the trench coat on; it usually meant there was nothing beneath it), but because it was Jongin, he did nothing except begrudgingly admit that yes, Jongin did look like a male model in the trench coat.

“See? Everyone can tell you look good in it. You have to keep it,” Kyungsoo said, swinging their hands together. Luhan was annoyed that no one paid attention to him. “Excuse me, but I’m royalty too,” he snapped at Kyungsoo and Chanyeol.

“Exactly. Be secure in your position,” Kyungsoo said calmly. Luhan clenched his teeth, looking like he wanted to bite Kyungsoo. “I am _fabulous_ in this, and there’s nothing you can say to dispute it,” he huffed. Jongin tutted at him.

 _Finally_ , Kyungsoo thought. Jongin rarely ever tutted at Luhan. Luckily enough, they parted ways with Luhan when he turned a corner to drop the bag into the Portal. “I’ll meet you guys in fifteen minutes, tops,” he said to them.

They reached Kyungsoo’s place half an hour later (obviously, Luhan was taking his time), without much recognition from others. Kyungsoo wasn’t quite sure why no one had seemed to realize that they had been missing for some time, and were here now. Maybe they assumed Jongin was Baekhyun, and that they had already been found. They weren’t the first few kids to have gone missing for a few days, only to resurface back a week later, unharmed.

In any case, they ran into a bit of trouble once they were on Kyungsoo’s street. There were a few neighbourhood kids who could recognize him, and he was worried that they would raise the alarm on them, even if they were only elementary kids.

He approached them somewhat awkwardly, walking past the four kids playing tag. He tried not to make any eye contact with them, but one of them recognized him, as he knew they would and he said, “Hey! It’s Kyungsoo hyung! He’s back!” A bit of high pitched screaming ensued, and they all ran towards him, clambering around him for hugs.

“Um, hey, kids,” Kyungsoo smiled. He patted their heads, answering their silly questions like _have you showered yet these past few days_ and _did you see the snow this morning_. “I’m alright, kiddo. I just went for a little road trip without telling mom,” he said to them. Was that a little tear behind his eyes?

“Mommy would kill me if I did that,” one of the boys said. “Well, take me as an example then. My mommy doesn’t want me to come in anymore, so I have to break in now,” he said sternly, motioning for Jongin to go up to his door and maybe punch a hole through the door or something. Chanyeol again, stood watch for any adults. So far, there were only the little kids.

“Won’t your mommy yell at you for breaking in?” another boy asked. “She’ll understand, I think, that I wanted to come in,” Kyungsoo said. “Now, go play, and keep this a secret okay? I’ll give you guys some candy in return. Would you like that?” Kyungsoo asked. There were yeses all around, and Kyungsoo shooed them off.

Meanwhile, Jongin had smashed a small hole through the door, and unlocked the door quite easily. “Um. That looks violent,” Kyungsoo said, looking at the bits of wood around the hole. Jongin smiled apologetically. “There wasn’t any other way.”

“Oh well,” Kyungsoo said. He went in, bringing Jongin along. Kyungsoo checked the kitchen first, and when he found that there was no pot of kimchi stew simmering away, he knew he had quite some time before his mother came home. Everyone was bound to be at the town hall today.

“Quaint, isn’t it?” Jongin commented, looking around. “I guess,” Kyungsoo said. His home was home, but it didn’t really hold many memories for him. Kyungsoo had always been the kind to lurk about in his room all the time, and as much as he loved his family, he did prefer his own alone time. At that thought, he wondered why did he ever hesitate in staying with Jongin. 

“I’ll go get my stuff. It won’t take long, so look around, if you want,” Kyungsoo said, heading into his room. Jongin nodded his affirmation, and Kyungsoo went around the corner, pushing his door open. He expected to take at least ten to fifteen minutes and prayed his parents wouldn’t suddenly come home. 

What he didn’t expect inside his room was his brother, Seungsoo, to be sitting on his bed, earphones on with his eyes shut. Kyungsoo gave an audible gasp, and shut the door again in haste. His heart almost stopped beating. Kyungsoo gripped the doorknob tightly, afraid that Seungsoo would try to open the door.

“Love?” Jongin frowned, peeking at him. Kyungsoo mouthed at him, “My brother is here.” Jongin’s eyes widened. “What should I do?” he mouthed back. Kyungsoo shrugged his shoulders. “Just stay out of sight,” he whispered. Maybe his brother could be civil enough to let him take his things.

He took a deep breath and opened the door again, looking through the gap. “Mom, is that you?” Seungsoo said. “Er, no,” Kyungsoo replied, sliding in and shutting the door before Seungsoo could spot Jongin in the kitchen.

“ _Kyungsoo_?” his brother said in disbelief. He didn’t sound very surprised though. Kyungsoo thought he would’ve been more shocked. Seungsoo sat up on the bed, pulling his earphones off. “Kyungsoo, how did you get in?” he asked.

“Good, you’re not going to call the police. Right. I just wanted to get my things. I’ll be out here in no time, don’t worry,” Kyungsoo said casually, waving a hand at him and moving to the closet. “Kyungsoo, are you even listening to me? How did you get in?” Seungsoo repeated.

“Through the front door,” Kyungsoo said evasively, picking up his largest carryon luggage bag and stuffing it with his underwear. “I know, but—Kyungsoo, what are you even doing here, I thought you ran away—”

“Only ‘cause the last time we met, someone called the cops on us. Very rude,” Kyungsoo mumbled, pulling all his essential clothes into the bag. He took the hangers as well; they didn’t have much of those in Lycanfort.

“But Kyungsoo, you were with a werewolf—” Seungsoo sounded close to hysterics. “Look, look, look, I know you’re just curious about what happened. Am I right?” Kyungsoo said, looking over at his brother. “Of course I am, you ran off with a _werewolf_ —”

“Yeah, I was there,” Kyungsoo snapped. He held up Seungsoo’s ugly but warm sweater. “Can I have this?”

“Sure, you know I hate it,” Seungsoo said. “Okay,” Kyungsoo replied, stuffing it in as well. “So, I was walking with Baekhyun one day when I fell into a tub and found a new world. I met this great guy who happens to be a werewolf, and we connected so well, I am now leaving this world for him. That’s the short version. Are you happy?” Kyungsoo asked.

Seungsoo looked dumbfounded. “No. He’s a werewolf, he’s not even—”

“Sane? Yeah, I thought so too, but—” Kyungsoo sighed, stopping for a moment. “The werewolves there are different, hyung. They’re like us, but they can Phase into wolves. That’s really all there is to it, and I love him, so I need to get going before you change your mind about not calling the cops.”

“You’ve never really said that word before to anyone,” Seungsoo remarked, folding his arms. Kyungsoo frowned at him, pushing at his bulging bag. “What word?”

“Love.”

Oh. That word. “Sure I do,” Kyungsoo blushed. He turned around and took all his favourite books, dumping them into his bag. They didn’t fit, but Kyungsoo still wanted them. The history of Lycanfort wasn’t terribly exciting. “You’ve never said it sincerely to anyone,” Seungsoo continued. Kyungsoo dug at the bottom of his closet for a second bag.

“I guess,” Kyungsoo said distractedly. “No, really, Kyungsoo. It’s like I’m looking at a whole new person,” Seungsoo said. Kyungsoo looked up at his tone. He sounded almost loving, and Seungsoo was _never_ loving with Kyungsoo.

“Um. I dunno, it must be love and all that jazz,” Kyungsoo laughed nervously. Seungsoo looked at him fondly. “It’s… great to see you, Kyungsoo. I haven’t seen you since I went away.”

Oh no, this wouldn’t do, Kyungsoo could feel tears welling up. “I—I know, hyung, and it’s great to be here too. Well, only for the next few minutes. I’ll probably be gone after this,” Kyungsoo said, trying to hold back his tears.

“Gone… to that new world?” Seungsoo guessed. Kyungsoo laughed. “I know it sounds fucking ridiculous, hyung, but it’s real. Maybe one day you’ll walk through it and we’ll meet again.”

“So you really love him then, whoever that kid was,” Seungsoo said. Kyungsoo wanted to scoff at Seungsoo and roll his eyes. “I don’t think I changed _that_ much.”

“I’m your brother, Kyungsoo,” Seungsoo said in his best I’m-older-than-you-so-I-would-know tone. “I’d know you anywhere, and the way you’re packing your bags makes me think you can’t wait to be with him,” Seungsoo said, settling back into bed and putting his earphones back on.

“You’re not gonna tell on me?” Kyungsoo asked. “No. Mom said you were never walking through the door again. She never said anything about you coming back,” Seungsoo shook his head. Kyungsoo smiled, a little tear trickling out of his left eye. “Thanks, hyung. I… You won’t see me again, I promise.”

“I hope that isn’t true,” Seungsoo said softly. Kyungsoo zipped up his bag, hand ready to reach for the doorknob. But despite everything that happened yesterday, despite his decision to stay with Jongin forever and his final decision about never coming back to the Pureblood world, there was something he still wanted to know. “Is mom pissed?” Kyungsoo asked, chewing his lip nervously. Seungsoo picked at a spot on his bed sheet. “Upset. Not pissed. Wishes you’ll come back to your senses before your werewolf boyfriend eats you.” Kyungsoo couldn’t bring himself to tell him about his decision about Turning. He could tell that that would definitely change Seungsoo’s casual perspective on everything.

“Right. Well, I won’t take up any more of your time,” Kyungsoo said, kicking the door open. Jongin was standing a few inches from the door, seemingly frozen as he stared into the room with wide eyes.

“Get the bags,” Kyungsoo muttered at him, trying to distract him from the sight of his brother. He knew what Jongin was probably going to say; Seungsoo and Kyungsoo looked very similar, except for their jawlines.

“Is this him?” Seungsoo asked, crossing his legs. “Yup,” Kyungsoo said, pushing Jongin to the front door. “Looks like a good guy,” Seungsoo remarked as Kyungsoo reached for the doorknob. “He’s almost forty,” Kyungsoo mouthed at him, before shutting the door.

“Are you in trouble?” Jongin asked at once. “No, he told me that he wouldn’t um—that he wouldn’t tell on me,” Kyungsoo said, hating that his voice trembled with emotion. He tried to walk away, but Jongin caught him by the arm and caressed his cheek gently.

“Then why are you crying, my love? Isn’t this a good thing, what you wanted?” Jongin asked, wiping a tear away with his thumb. 

“It is,” Kyungsoo sniffed, taking Jongin’s hand. There was no use crying, he knew. It would only make Jongin feel all the more guilty and remind him of all he was going to lose. “These are just happy tears, Jongin, I’m fine. Really,” Kyungsoo said, smiling through his tears. They were bittersweet tears, and he had a feeling they weren’t the last ones to be shed.

Jongin was not convinced, but Kyungsoo pushed him to the door and kept insisting that he was fine till they were out of the door. He had to go back in because he forgot the candy for the kids waiting expectantly outside but otherwise, he knew he was never coming back.  

“Next stop is Chanyeol’s place,” Kyungsoo sniffled, wiping his stray tears away. “Why are you crying?” one of the kids questioned. “It was just good to be home for a while,” Kyungsoo smiled, ruffling his hair. “I’m gonna go now. Take care,” he waved at him. The rest of kids screamed their goodbyes, and they went off, Kyungsoo’s bags distributed between Chanyeol and Jongin because ‘Kyungsoo looks too emotional to be carrying baggage’.

“Don’t be stupid,” Kyungsoo had said to Chanyeol, and tried to snatch his bag away from him. “No, I’ll carry it. You sort out your feelings and file it away in your head. When you’re done I’ll give it back to you,” he said, swinging his bag away from Kyungsoo’s grip. Kyungsoo wanted to laugh in disbelief. Sometimes he forgot what a good friend Chanyeol was.

“Thanks then,” he said, wiping his nose. Chanyeol was still sneezing occasionally and was starting to sound bunged up, but nevertheless Kyungsoo was grateful for Chanyeol’s presence.

“Hey, we’re gonna go past the town hall after all,” Chanyeol realized after ten minutes of walking. Kyungsoo looked around at the buildings and realized that it was true; they were going to walk past it. _Maybe we were meant to walk past it,_ Kyungsoo mused. Then he thought, _don’t be dumb and melodramatic._ Things were never that perfect.

 _But we are_ , Kyungsoo thought, linking hands with Jongin and looking up at him wistfully. His hair was still a bit messy, his collar was turned up artfully against the wind, but he was still the most beautiful person Kyungsoo had ever seen. Kyungsoo felt so complete with him; he never wanted to be incomplete again, could never have anything else once he had a taste of perfection.

They had only passed maybe three blocks before crowds started appearing by the sidewalk, and cars started lining the roads. Kyungsoo kept his gaze away from the crowds, keeping close to Jongin’s side. The further they walked, the more people started to squeeze past them, laughing and talking boisterously among themselves.

“I think there’s a party or something going on,” Chanyeol said, standing on his tip toes and peering over people. “What’s going on? What are they doing this year?” Kyungsoo asked.

“I can see people slow dancing. There’s no music though,” Chanyeol frowned. “You’re wrong,” Jongin said softly. “There are voices singing and a piano being played.”

“Wow, they brought a piano out?” Kyungsoo said. The park outside the town hall had never been acknowledged by the mayor as a place where people could hold community activities, but this year was definitely different. As they got closer, Kyungsoo could hear a piano, and someone singing his heart out. It wasn’t a song Kyungsoo could recognize, but it sounded nice; acoustic, raw and unplugged.

People were milling around the park with red cups, so Kyungsoo assumed there were beverages being served somewhere. Everyone was distracted enough that they didn’t notice them, which was good.

“Do you need some alone time?” Kyungsoo asked. Chanyeol looked around wondrously; the place kind of felt different now that it was like a party. It wasn’t a place just for couples to meet up quietly and watch the snow fall; it was charged with energy now, with the excitement of first time’s and what if’s.

“I think _you_ need alone time,” Chanyeol said. “I can just walk around and feel the place. You guys could probably enjoy the music,” he said to them. The sun had just slid down the horizon, casting a bruised purple colour in the sky above them. It was beautiful, the atmosphere was perfect, and there was no real reason not to enjoy what the music had to offer.

“But you were the one who wanted to come,” Kyungsoo protested. Chanyeol shook his head. “Being here is enough for me. I think you should dance with Kai, Soo, go on. It’ll be nice,” Chanyeol urged him. Kyungsoo remembered his dance lesson with Luhan and bit down on his I-can’t-dance excuse.

“It’d be weird to leave you alone,” Kyungsoo sulked, trying one last time to sneak out of this corner.

“It’s our last time here, Kyungsoo. Just go for it,” Chanyeol smiled. Kyungsoo sighed, martyred. He looked over his shoulder at Jongin who was staring at few shy couples dancing by the fountain. He probably wanted to join in, but like Luhan said. He’d never ask Kyungsoo.

 _It’s the last time here, isn’t it?_ His subconscious said. _The first and last time I’ll ever be here at this time with Jongin._ The longing in Jongin’s eyes were almost painful, and Kyungsoo felt like he should do something about it, since the opportunity was now presenting itself in such a pleasant way.

 _I’ll do it for him then. Before anyone recognizes us_ , Kyungsoo thought, taking a deep breath for courage. He stepped up to Jongin, tapping him on the arm. Jongin blinked as if he was jolted out of a dream and looked at Kyungsoo. “Yes, love?” he said distractedly.

“Put down the bag, Jongin,” Kyungsoo mumbled. Chanyeol was watching from afar and took the bag from Jongin hurriedly. “I’ll take care of it,” he promised, buggering off to wander into another part of the park. “What’s wrong, love?” Jongin said, placing his warm hands over Kyungsoo’s pale face. 

“Are you cold?” he asked. Kyungsoo took both of his hands and held them gently. “Dance with me,” he said quietly.

The pianist at the steps of the town hall had just started a new song, and some of the couples walked away from the fountain, giving a chance for other couples to dance. “Dance?” Jongin echoed blankly.

“Luhan told me you always wanted to dance,” Kyungsoo said lamely, pulling him towards the fountain. There were a few people staring at them, and it unnerved Kyungsoo to no end, but he wasn’t going to let it bother him.

Jongin looked pleasantly surprised. Little Christmas lights came on in the trees, strung up on their branches. Kyungsoo could hardly breathe; everything felt like a dream. “I wouldn’t want to do anything you didn’t like,” Jongin said softly. He laced their fingers together on one hand, and stood straight, opposite of Kyungsoo.

_Your touch, your skin, where do I begin? No words can explain the way I’m missing you…_

“Nobody said I didn’t like dancing,” Kyungsoo mumbled back, taking a step to his right like how Luhan told him to. Jongin followed his lead, immediately recognizing his steps. They went in a circle, their free hands behind their backs.

_Can I lay by your side?_

“People are staring,” Kyungsoo observed quietly. He could feel eyes on the back of his neck; they were wondering why he was dancing so formally. “Mm, they are,” Jongin smiled, stopping in his tracks, and going in another circle in the opposite direction.

_Next to you…_

“But I guess it’s sort of normal for you, isn’t it? People are always watching you, no matter which world we’re in,” Kyungsoo said, feeling his head spin in a good way. He felt giddy with happiness, with Jongin. “I suppose so, love. Is there a reason why we’re dancing?”

_And make sure you’re alright; I’ll take care of you…_

“I wanted to make you happy,” Kyungsoo simply said. And it was true. Seeing Jongin smile, dancing with him like this made Kyungsoo happy as well. It awed him that Jongin’s happiness could inspire a spark of happiness within him.

“You make me happy, love, with each and every day I’m with you,” Jongin said softly. They were done going around in circles, and they bowed at each other. The song wasn’t done yet, obviously, but Kyungsoo hadn’t learned the second dance and said as much to Jongin.

“The next one is simple,” he said, holding up one hand and placing another at Kyungsoo’s ribcage. Kyungsoo recognized his pose, this Prince Charming and Disney princess dance, and knew what to do without being told. He couldn’t keep the stupid smile off his face as they began to sway slowly around the fountain, lights in his peripheral vision.

“Ah, so you _do_ know this dance,” Jongin smiled. “I didn’t think it’d be this dance. I’ve seen it in movies,” Kyungsoo admitted, feeling the heat of Jongin’s skin.

_I don’t want to be here if I can’t be with you tonight._

“Did Luhan teach you that dance?” Jongin asked. Kyungsoo nodded at his question. “He said that there was bound to be dancing sometime in my life. This place, right here and now, seemed like a good time,” Kyungsoo said, pressing forward and putting his head on Jongin’s shoulder.

“I still think Turning is a terrible idea,” Jongin said, leaning his head on Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo closed his eyes, listening to Jongin’s calm heartbeat. “I don’t see any other way to be with you.”

_Lay me down tonight…_

“You can still apologize to your parents and be with them. The Portal will always be open for you,” Jongin said. Kyungsoo exhaled through his nose. “That wouldn’t be enough, Jongin. I want to be with you, and experience new things with you, and show you how much I love you. I want to wake up with you, go to bed with you, do everything with you. I don’t mind giving all of this up for that.”

_Lay me by your side…_

“You’ve already done most of that with me,” Jongin calmly pointed out. “Then I want to do it again. Again, till my last breath, till we cease to be. Can’t you see, Jongin? I don’t want to be without you, not anymore,” Kyungsoo said, pulling back to look up at him.

“Never again,” Kyungsoo said in his most sincere tone. If it took multiple times for Jongin to get it, he didn’t mind. As long as Jongin understood that Kyungsoo wasn’t going to ever leave him again, Kyungsoo was happy to repeat it over and over again to him.

“Words,” Jongin muttered. Kyungsoo chuckled under his breath. “I know they’re only words and that they’re all I can give you but you’re the one who’s not letting me prove it to you,” Kyungsoo said. Jongin was silent for a moment, and they swayed together around the fountain once more without say anything, attuned and in sync to one another.

“Your week still stands,” Jongin murmured. “I won’t let you rush into anything.” Kyungsoo rolled his eyes. “Yeah, my probation. I’m telling you, it won’t change nothing—”

“Time to go!” Chanyeol suddenly yelled from somewhere in the crowd. They stopped dancing, and Kyungsoo frowned. “Why? Is something wrong?” he said. There wasn’t anything particularly alarming, as far as Kyungsoo could see.

“I can hear sirens, love,” Jongin said, tightening his hold on Kyungsoo’s hand. “Who won the bet?” Kyungsoo said, before they elbowed past some people and tore down the street. A few women yelped in surprise when Kyungsoo and Jongin pushed past them, but none of them seemed to want to stop them. Chanyeol jumped over the low wall and caught up with them, bags in tow. “We should probably head to the Portal,” he said.

“Great idea,” Kyungsoo panted. He was running on pure adrenaline, but he didn’t know how long it could last. The abandoned house was quite a ways from the park, and Chanyeol might not even make it, what with the heavy bags in tow. “Give Jongin one of the bags,” Kyungsoo said to him as they turned a sharp corner.

Jongin caught the heavier bag when Chanyeol tossed it at him and swung it over his back, his feet thumping against the ground loudly. “Wait, what about Luhan?” Kyungsoo said, remembering the fourth person in their group.

“The wind is on our side. He might be able to sense us on the run,” Jongin replied, wind blowing back his hair. They were still more than halfway from the Portal when a police car wailed ahead of them, at the end of the street. “Shit,” Kyungsoo spat. They did a double take and started going off in the opposite direction, but not before another appeared on the other street.

“We’re cornered,” Chanyeol realized. Two more cars pulled beside the first police car, and some cops stepped out, holding guns. Kyungsoo knew they were probably loaded with silver bullets. He could hear the buzz from their walkie-talkies.

“Now would be a good time for Sehun or Jongdae to be here,” Kyungsoo said, backing up against the building behind him. There was no way out except for a dead end down a dirty alley on Kyungsoo’s right, but the wall at the end was too high up for any of them to scale it. Jongin kept a hand around him, pulling him close. Chanyeol held his hands up in surrender.

“Can’t you send an emergency call to Luhan or something?” Kyungsoo asked desperation, looking up at Jongin pleadingly. “If I Phase, they might shoot, won’t they?” he murmured back.

“This is why I knew I should’ve come with all of you,” someone said from behind them. Kyungsoo turned around to see who it was, because it sounded like it was coming from the alley and—

“ _Luhan_?”

Sehun was standing behind him, and Kyungsoo could see their room inside the Portal. Chanyeol turned when he heard the sound of Luhan’s voice as well, and leapt into the Portal without a moment’s hesitation, flying past Sehun and landing on the ground heavily.

One of the cops yelled something from afar and aimed his gun at them, ready to fire. Kyungsoo shoved at Jongin and told him to get in, scrambling to climb into the Portal. Sehun gave Jongin a helping hand, and Luhan was about to lift Kyungsoo up into the Portal before a gunshot was fired. Kyungsoo’s body jerked instinctively in response, jolting in Luhan’s arms.

“Move, move, I can’t get Kyungsoo in,” Luhan said over his shoulder to Sehun. There were yells from outside, and Kyungsoo gurgled in panic, trying to get Sehun’s attention. He pulled Kyungsoo into the Portal with a grunt, and it shut right after Kyungsoo went in, sprawled on the ground at Luhan’s feet. For a while, no one said anything.

“That was exciting,” Kyungsoo panted, sweat dotting his forehead. His legs hurt from all the running, especially his right leg.

Kyungsoo felt a bit light headed, but he assumed it was from all the running. He sat up and brought his legs up, hissing at the sore feeling in his right leg. Luhan was laughing breathlessly, rearranging his fringe when he looked down at Kyungsoo’s leg and screamed like a little girl.

“You’re bleeding! On my carpet too, oh my God, _Kyungsoo_ —”

Kyungsoo took a look at his leg and noticed a big patch of blood on his right calf. His linen pants had ripped horizontally, and through it he could see blood dripping steadily down on Luhan’s carpet. “Okay, that’s a lot of blood,” he noted, his stomach doing a belly flop. Jongin crawled over to where Kyungsoo was and gasped when he saw the blood, reaching out a hand to touch it.

“Ow, don’t touch it!” Kyungsoo smacked his hand. “I’ll go get a nurse! And bandages! Oh God,” Luhan said, running out of his room. Sehun and Chanyeol peered over Jongin’s shoulder curiously. “You’ve been grazed by a bullet. Badly, I might add,” Sehun said. Chanyeol looked ready to puke. Jongin hurriedly bunched his pants up at the knee, wincing at the wound.

“I can’t see how bad it is, Sehun, there’s so much blood,” he said to Sehun worriedly. Sehun went around Kyungsoo and observed it carefully. “Apply pressure on it here, Kai, and I’ll see if it’s deep,” Sehun took Jongin’s hand and placed it above Kyungsoo’s wound. His muscles screamed in protest, but Kyungsoo made no complaints, only gritted his teeth. Sehun looked around for a cloth but found none and made do with his shirt sleeve, ripping it off his shoulder and pressing it to Kyungsoo’s wound.

“Ah,” Kyungsoo gasped in pain, before biting down on his tongue. He was certain this was the price he ha d to pay for dragging them back up to his world again. Sehun took his hand away, and peered at it once more. He only had about three seconds before blood started to cover his wound up again, and he flung his bloodied sleeve aside, looking for something else to staunch the blood with.

“Luhan will kill me once he knows I ruined this shirt,” Sehun muttered, ripping out his other sleeve and pressing it to his wound. Kyungsoo whimpered in pain, lying back on the ground. The pain was almost unbearable in his leg, and he could hardly think through the red haze in his brain. In the corner of his eye he could see Chanyeol crouched against the bed, trying not to hurl his breakfast out onto the ground.

“Love, does it hurt badly?” Jongin asked, taking a look at his pale and clammy face. “A lil’ bit, but I’m fine,” Kyungsoo bit out. “He’s not going to die from this, but it will probably scar his leg,” Sehun said to Jongin, taking the cloth away to look at his wound again.

“Can’t you heal me and make sure there’s no scar?” Kyungsoo asked. Sehun patted his wound, trying to keep the blood from flowing. “No promises,” he shook his head. 

Luhan thankfully came back with two servants, one carrying a basket and another with a basin of hot water. “We’ll have to sanitise the wound, young Master, before we can clean it up,” they said to Luhan briskly. It wasn’t bleeding as much, but it still hurt like a bitch.

“Kyungsoo? Would you like me to knock you out?” Sehun asked, as the servant with the hot water came over and dipped the cloth into the basin. “It _will_ hurt,” he said softly.

“Wouldn’t that be unnecessary?” he replied. The pain wasn’t that unbearable, maybe he could just lay back while they dressed the wound… or so he thought until Kyungsoo let the servant wipe his wound and gave a garbled cry at the heat and pain. “Okay, do it, just do it,” Kyungsoo said, shutting his eyes tightly.

Jongin wound his hand around Kyungsoo’s fingers. “I’ll be here when you wake up, my love,” he whispered. There was a bright blue light over his eyelids before a sense of lethargy overcame Kyungsoo, and his limbs fell limp on the ground.

*

When Kyungsoo emerged from his dreamless sleep, he didn’t open his eyes right away. The horror of looking at his botched up calf was a bit much, in his opinion, and he wasn’t sure he could stomach a second sight. So, he tentatively lifted up his right leg, testing to see if there was any pain.

Surprisingly (or not), there was no pain. Whether there was a scar or not, he couldn’t tell, but that could wait till morning. Other than feeling stiff, his body felt completely fine, and he felt this was good enough for him to open his eyes. He did, and found himself in his own bedroom, dim moonlight casting shadows in the darkness. Kyungsoo felt a strangely warm draft at his neck, which startled him at first, but when he realized it was only Jongin breathing, he relaxed.

He tried to lift his hand, and found that Jongin kept his promise. He was there when he woke up, and their hands were still entwined together. It made Kyungsoo feel stupidly happy to see Jongin’s sleeping face beside him. “Hey,” he whispered, taking his hand out and tickling Jongin’s chin.

Jongin flicked his hand away and shifted in his sleep, facing his body in Kyungsoo’s direction. _He is so very pretty_ , Kyungsoo thought, admiring his facial features. The cheekbones, his cute nose and the shape of his eyes were so aesthetically pleasing to Kyungsoo no matter how many times he looked at him.

Kyungsoo inched closer for a kiss on the lips and cuddled beside Jongin, sniffing Jongin’s scent. _Wow, he showered without me_ , Kyungsoo noted when he caught a whiff of something floral. He couldn’t even remember the last time he cleaned himself up without Jongin.

 _But there won’t be any need for me to remember anymore_ , Kyungsoo thought. _Together_. He placed his hand back into Jongin’s warm hand, settling to go back to sleep. _We’ll be together._ He couldn’t help smiling at that thought. Especially now that he had his own clothes.

*

“Camping!” Luhan threw his hands up into the air ecstatically. “Camping,” Kyungsoo repeated flatly. Luhan nodded, taking a bit from his baguette. “Remind me again why we’re talking about camping when we just came back from that horrific trip to Europe,” Kyungsoo said, folding his arms.

They were all seated at the table together, all ten of them, including Minseok, Yixing and Suho. Luhan had gathered all of them here through all sorts of means, from pretending there was a national emergency to pestering the vampires awake and sending Sehun off to Europe to drag Jongdae here. “We are going camping by the lake, Kyungsoo, and it’s different from when we went to Europe,” he pouted.

“But why all of us? Can’t you just go with Sehun?” he asked. Luhan slammed a hand down the table. “We’re a family. I want us to act like a family,” Luhan said dryly. “Actually, there’s only one of us here related to you—” Yixing tried to say, but Luhan slit a menacing glare at him.

“We’ll travel, manually, as in by foot, and trek our way to the lake some miles away from here, and that would probably take a day or so. We’ll stay by the lake and enjoy what nature has to offer for three days, and then we can come back feeling closer than ever. Spring is coming after all, can’t you feel the change in the air?” Luhan said, stars in his eyes.

“You know, half of us here have jobs,” Jongdae pointed out. Jongin pointed a fork in the air. “Exactly.”

“It’s just the two of you, Suho and Minseok. So what? Five days can’t hurt anyone,” Luhan held out his hands, daring everyone to question him and his sanity. Kyungsoo swirled his mushroom soup around in its bowl, thinking about it.

“Do you want to go, love?” Jongin asked softly, patting his hand. “It wouldn’t be so bad… right?” Kyungsoo said. “I’ve never been on a summer camp, or anything like that anyway.”

Baekhyun yawned, rubbing his eyes. “I guess we could go, but what if we have needs?” he asked. Luhan seemed to understand right away. “All of our needs will be sustained by nature. There will be bushes to provide cover and shelter,” he said wisely. Kyungsoo tried not to think about Baekhyun’s needs. It must somehow involve the keywords Chanyeol, biting, blood and sex (in that order too).

Jongdae looked bored with the entire idea. “I guess I could take a few days off,” he shrugged. Kyungsoo rather thought he would refuse. “Really?” Kyungsoo said in disbelief, looking at him. Jongdae folded his arms, his eyes sliding half mast. “When is it?” he asked.

Luhan clapped his hands together. “Well, if it’s alright with you lot, then we can set off tomorrow!” Suho and Minseok looked panicked. Jongin glanced at them and said, “If you’re busy then you can always excuse yourself,” he said to them.

Luhan gave Jongin a surly look. “No, they won’t be busy, because they’ll be coming along with us tomorrow regardless of their schedules. Minseok, I know you’re not dating anyone and your home situation is fine, so I don’t see why you don’t want to come. Suho, as Young Prince of Lycanfort, I command you to come on this trip,” Luhan said firmly.

 _Talk about abuse of power_ , Kyungsoo thought. Suho gave a stiff nod while Minseok said yes uncertainly. “Then we should finish up our work today, shouldn’t we?” Minseok said, turning to Jongin for help. He nodded. They got up, bowed, and walked out of the hall together.

“Congrats. You forced them into coming with us. What’s next?” Kyungsoo batted his eyelashes at Luhan. “Getting all of you to come, of course. I expect to see each and every one of your faces tomorrow by the stables. Alright?” Luhan said.

“Not much of a choice,” Kyungsoo said, going back to his soup. “By the way, Luhan,” Kyungsoo smiled sweetly at him. Luhan widened his eyes in fear at him; Kyungsoo almost never smiled at Luhan like this. “You and Chanyeol owe me five gold coins each.”

 


	16. it'll be you and me, up in the trees (and the forest will give us the answers)

The sun peaked over the horizon, casting its long, fiery orange arms across the grassy lands of Lycanfort and warming the air. Winter was coming to an end, and early spring was evident in some places. Flowers began to bloom, petals unfurled, leaves started growing, and shoots started to sprout. It was a new day in Lycanfort, and a new day in Kyungsoo’s new life.

A new day however, did not necessarily mean he woke up in a pleasant mood even though Jongin was right beside him. In fact, Jongin was the bastard who woke him up. “ _Min kjærlighet,_ it is time to wake up,” Jongin whispered, brushing his lips over Kyungsoo’s cheek.

“Nobody wants to go camping,” Kyungsoo wailed, his voice cracking mid sentence. He flailed his pillow violently, and Jongin caught his arm easily. He laughed his very sexy laugh, bringing him closer to the edge of being fully awake. “You were the one who agreed to it,” he chided, jiggling his shoulder with a hand.

“And you were the one who kept me up all night,” Kyungsoo complained back. He could almost feel the eye bags beneath his eyes and fatigue in his bones. Damn Jongin who just had to be ultra sexy at night. “Just wake up, or we’ll be late, love,” Jongin muttered, and it was Kyungsoo’s turn to laugh.

“Are you embarrassed about last night?” he asked, reluctantly opening his eyes. Jongin’s cheeks were pink, and Kyungsoo reached out a hand to pinch his cheek gently.

They were at it last night, and Jongin was very close to orgasm before Luhan knocked on the door to inform them about the camping trip. Needless to say, Jongin ignored Luhan as he always did, but unfortunately that meant Luhan walking into the room to find them both butt naked. Consequently, he commented that Jongin ‘could’ve said he was busy’ and left the room, politely closing the door after him.

Kyungsoo was embarrassed that Luhan caught in a compromising position (literally), but not nearly as embarrassed as Jongin was. After all, Kyungsoo was almost used to Luhan’s perviness. Apparently, Jongin was not.

“I don’t know how I’m going to face my brother later on,” Jongin said, putting both hands over his face. “It’ll be okay. I’ve seen Luhan naked, you probably have too, and we’re not weird about it,” Kyungsoo said, sitting up to hug Jongin’s pitiful figure. “Yes, but Luhan hasn’t seen me undressed since we were children.”

“He’s your brother, he has everything that you do. I’m sure he won’t judge,” Kyungsoo patted his back. Jongin responded with a small, keening noise in his shoulder, pressing Kyungsoo to himself. It made Kyungsoo absurdly happy that Jongin trusted him enough to sort of cry on his shoulder (metaphorically, of course) and it was only seven in the morning for God’s sake. “I like that you’re the embarrassed one for once,” Kyungsoo said, kissing Jongin’s neck.

Jongin pulled away, head hung low as he sighed heavily. “I may never hear the end of it from my brother,” he muttered. Kyungsoo made babying noises in his throat, mooshing Jongin’s face fondly. “We can always move away,” he said suggestively. Maybe Jongin would rise to the bait and they could live in a small but cute cottage for the rest of their lives, and bang as loudly and whenever they wanted.

“Luhan would only follow,” Jongin frowned. Kyungsoo made a face. “Don’t ruin my mood, I was happy a minute ago.” He tugged at Jongin’s mouth, turning it upside down. “There. That’s nicer,” Kyungsoo smiled. Jongin sighed, running his hands through Kyungsoo’s hair.

“Should we go, my love? You’ve only just healed—”

“It doesn’t even need bandages. Look at it,” Kyungsoo said, throwing back the covers to reveal his right leg. Jongin had already seen it the night before; Sehun had tried to leave as little a scar as possible, but Kyungsoo’s leg wasn’t flawless to begin with anyway. There was a very faint line running across his calf, but unless you looked closely you wouldn’t even notice it. Furthermore, it was a scar. What in buggeration was Jongin going on about ‘just healed’?

“You were feeling weak last night, love, maybe we shouldn’t go,” Jongin insisted, brushing his hand over Kyungsoo’s scar. “It should’ve been me who was shot,” he murmured, running a finger over the scar. “You wouldn’t have known the guy would open fire. And you didn’t care about me feeling weak last night,” Kyungsoo pointed out, slinging both arms over Jongin’s shoulders and bumping their foreheads together to distract him from moping around.

It worked, and Jongin smirked, kissing Kyungsoo on the nose. “I think perviness runs in the family, doesn’t it?” Kyungsoo asked, a smile creeping up to his lips.

“I have no idea what you mean,” Jongin responded innocently. Kyungsoo was about to push Jongin over and maybe have a quick morning make out session with him, but there was a quiet knock on the door before a soft call.

“Kai? Are you decent?”

“Go away, Luhan, you’re always here at the wrong time,” Kyungsoo shouted grumpily. He couldn’t face Luhan without breakfast in his tummy.

“You’re the ones having sex at ALL the wrong times!” Luhan shouted back, pounding on the door. Kyungsoo dragged himself away from Jongin’s warm body and crawled like a hungry ghost to the door to let Luhan in (Jongin got all paranoid and locked the door after Luhan barged in last night).

“I’ve changed my mind,” Kyungsoo said before Luhan could even think of asking him to hurry up. “Step into my office,” Luhan said, motioning for him to come out of the room. He furrowed his eyebrows together in confusion; what office? Luhan couldn’t even read a book without falling asleep. Unconsciously, Kyungsoo took a step forward out of the door.

Then Luhan leaned in and yelled in his ear, “Nobody changes their mind at the last second on _me_! PUT YOUR DAMN CLOTHES ON.”

Something soft hit him in the face and Luhan squawked indignantly. Kyungsoo didn’t know what it was but he wasn’t ready to find out as Luhan began growling. He slammed the door out of fear and looked at Jongin. “What was that?” he asked, knees trembling. “Your clothes,” Jongin shrugged.

*

Despite everything, Luhan begrudgingly forgave Jongin for throwing Kyungsoo’s dirty laundry at him and they met at the stables with the rest of the guys. Kyungsoo sat down on a stack of hay beside Baekhyun while they waited for Minseok to show up. Apparently Jongin and Kyungsoo weren’t the only reluctant ones on this trip. Who goes out camping in winter? No one but Luhan, obviously.

As they waited and chatted amongst themselves, Kyungsoo observed the others quietly. Yixing was dressed in robes frighteningly similar to the ones Luhan usually wore. Kyungsoo hoped he wasn’t sucked into the trend yet. Suho, on the other hand, looked quite smart with his dark but sturdy clothing. Kyungsoo only discovered it was sturdy after Baekhyun bumped against Suho by accident and he heard a distinct thump. Perhaps he wanted to protect Jongin in case of an emergency.

Speaking of strange clothing, Luhan and Baekhyun were dressed in matching tie dye rainbow robes. In fact, they matched their outfits right down to their slippers. It was very annoying, and Kyungsoo briefly wondered whether Baekhyun would feel anything if he set him on fire later on. Someone had to test the theory of vampires not being able to feel any pain, after all. Sehun, blessedly enough, dressed decently without any fashion atrocities on his person. Kyungsoo wanted to high five him and Jongin; they had decided to dress moderately all at the same time without knowing it. Or maybe it was just the rest of them who were mad.

Jongdae however, won the most outrageous award, hands down. He had on a latex trench coat (neon yellow, and everything was see through), skinny jeans on that looked more like leggings and a t-shirt beneath his coat with Nirvana printed over it. When Kyungsoo looked down at his feet, he was wearing leather sneakers. On a hiking trip. Even Luhan couldn’t top that with his robes. To make it worse, he had a roller bag in tow, and it was Louis Vuitton. He didn’t doubt it was probably genuine. “You didn’t tell me you’ve been around since the 90s,” Kyungsoo accused, pointing at his shirt.

“Honey, I’ve been around since the 1800s. Grandpa here has been around since the 1600s. I think he slept through most of that time though. Have you seen his spellwork?” Jongdae said in disgust, pointing at Sehun. He rolled his eyes at Jongdae.

“Yeah, I’d like to see you make time for casting spells when you’re working full time as a waiter for Yifan,” he snapped. That was the first and last time Kyungsoo ever saw Sehun close to being angry. Luhan spotted his hissy fit and snapped his fingers at him, muttering something under his breath. Sehun lowered his gaze submissively.

Jongdae laughed. “I remember you served him the wrong kind of blood once. He threw it on the ground and made you clean it up afterwards,” he snickered. Sehun’s past job piqued Kyungsoo’s interest rather than amusement. “Really? You used to work as a waiter for Yifan?” he asked incredulously.

“You’ve seen the marble room, haven’t you? There is always a waiter or a waitress there to serve drinks. Back then, everyone wanted a piece of class and everyone wanted to serve Yifan his drinks. Of course, no one bothered to mention about how fickle he could be…” Sehun muttered.

“Doesn’t human blood all taste the same?” Kyungsoo frowned. Sehun shook his head. “It wasn’t about taste, it was more about its age. Yifan always knew whenever we served him blood more than a day old. Such a picky eater,” Sehun tutted.

“Look at where that habit got him,” Jongdae shrugged. “How’s Europe? I don’t think I ever had a chance to ask you about it,” Kyungsoo said, remembering that Jongdae was now King of Europe. How did Kyungsoo ever get himself involved with the VIPs of this world, he would never know.

“Relations are better with Lycanfort, obviously. We’re exporting stuff now, like spice, silk, _adamas_ , gold… There’s silver too, but of course, I don’t think Kai needs any of that,” he said dryly. “But honestly? Yifan left Europe in ruins. The economy was a mess, everyone was poor… I’m trying to get the place back on track. I’ve heard of Europe at its best, and y’know,” Jongdae shrugged. “I haven’t got anything better to do. Can’t even threaten war on Kai now,” he laughed.

Kyungsoo laughed nervously at that. “So you don’t… you don’t look like how Yifan did at the war, do you?” he asked. Jongdae blinked. “I’m not a royal, Kyungsoo. I won’t ever want to be one. A royal’s real form doesn’t suit me somehow,” he said, looking down at his clothes, dusting away imaginary lint on his shoulder.

“Trying to become a royal is tiring anyway,” Sehun said, exasperated. “The spell takes years to memorize, and when you do, you forget the damned ingredients,” he rolled his eyes. Kyungsoo briefly remembered Luhan saying a long time ago that Sehun wanted to be a royal. Being outside of Europe must’ve made him realize that it wasn’t worth it.

“And the other royals! They’re all so old, they don’t even know who Shakespeare is,” Sehun scoffed. Jongdae laughed, fist bumping him. Kyungsoo smiled at their conversation; surely the Europeans could have better lives now that Jongdae was their leader? He wasn’t a great talker, and he wasn’t ethereally beautiful like Yifan was but didn’t the saying go that leaders were made, not born?

“Finally! I was thinking of firing Minseok,” Luhan sighed loudly. Kyungsoo twisted in his seat to see Minseok running breathlessly towards them with a large backpack, his hair sticking out in all directions. “Sorry! Sorry! I forgot to bring an extra change of clothes and I had to run back home,” he panted, bending over on his knees.

“It doesn’t matter, you’re here now,” Jongin said quickly before Luhan could start yelling at Minseok. “Alright, everyone, it’s time to go,” Jongin called, clapping his hands to grab everyone’s attention. Everyone grunted about and picked their backpacks up, including Kyungsoo. His backpack was light though, very much so. He packed only one extra set of clothes, skins, a thin cotton blanket, and not much else besides his toothbrush. He had absolute faith in Jongin, his forest man.

“You’re a vampire now. Piggy back me,” Kyungsoo demanded to Baekhyun. “’Scuse you, but I have a boyfriend,” he said, putting an arm around Chanyeol’s neck. “I’m your best friend. Now piggy back me,” Kyungsoo said again.

Chanyeol put a hand on his shoulder with a serious expression. He looked like he was about to say something serious (which was out of character), until he started to sniffle. “Gyuhhsu, I dun dink yuh shood be dalkin’ like dad doo my boyfreng,” he said. That was much better. Baekhyun slapped a hand to his face.

“Guess you’re not getting laid in the bushes tonight,” Kyungsoo said happily, skipping off to link hands with Jongin, who was up ahead the rest of them. They started walking towards the forest at an okay speed, slow enough for Kyungsoo to walk beside Jongin without losing his breath and fast enough to shut Luhan up.

“Luhan, pray tell, why are we on this trip?” Kyungsoo said loudly, knowing that Luhan could hear even from seven feet away behind him.

He replied something unintelligible, and Jongin translated for Kyungsoo. “He says it’s to bond with each other.”

“There’s only one person you want to bond with here, and the bonding you’ll be doing won’t be appropriate for the public,” Kyungsoo said.

Jongin chuckled beside him, swinging their hands together. Luhan replied again, and Jongin listened carefully, making out the words for Kyungsoo. “He says it’s not just for him,” Jongin said, before realizing what he meant and blushed. “I’m not going to have sex with you in a fucking forest—”

“He’s a keeper,” Jongdae remarked behind Kyungsoo. “It’s unsanitary, there’s bugs everywhere, not to mention grass and weeds. Should I go on?” Kyungsoo said smoothly, pretending Jongdae never butted in. “Do you think making a move on Suho tonight is cool, or should I wait till tomorrow?” Jongdae asked absently.

“I think you should chat him up, make him feel good and do what you want with him tomorrow night,” Kyungsoo replied, before turning back to Jongin. He still looked disappointed about not having a literal ramble in the woods.

“Do it for the King!” Baekhyun yelled from beside Luhan, cupping his hands together to carry his voice to Kyungsoo. Someone hollered loudly, presumably Chanyeol, and a few other voices joined in. Kyungsoo pursed his lips. Eternity with this entire lot wasn’t going to be easy.

 _Wait, Yixing is still human_ , Kyungsoo suddenly thought, categorising all of them into wolves and vampires. _Won’t he be with us in a few years?_ Kyungsoo frowned. They weren’t extremely close, that was true, but the absence of Yixing would definitely be significant. Kyungsoo leaned backwards, muttering inconspicuously to Jongdae: “Is Yixing thinking about Turning?” he said without moving his lips.

“No. Says he hasn’t found the right person yet. He has a thing for Minseok though,” Jongdae whispered back. Ah, so he liked Minseok? Explained why he always stopped by the castle every so often ever since their trip to Europe. Kyungsoo was fairly sure he didn’t fancy Luhan’s personality that much. Only Sehun tolerated him that well.

“Can’t you get him to Turn though? I don’t want to attend his funeral,” Kyungsoo hissed. “It’s pretty tentative. He likes Minseok, but he isn’t brave enough to own up to his feelings yet,” Jongdae whispered. “What’re you all whispering about in front?” Luhan called. Jongin gave him a surly look.

“Maybe this is an opportunity to make him _bond_ with Minseok,” Kyungsoo suggested, feeling a touch of matchmaker coming on. They glanced at Yixing who was reading a book while walking. “It’ll take some work,” Jongdae mouthed, when Yixing tripped over a rock and almost fell over.

“Pass on the plan to Luhan and Baekhyun. We’ll need their help,” Kyungsoo whispered. Jongdae nodded. Luhan and Baekhyun usually meant Chanyeol and Sehun as well.

“A little conspirator, aren’t you, my love?” Jongin smiled down at him. Kyungsoo shrugged. “I want everyone to be happy. Sometimes they just need a little push,” he held out his hands. “I’m still not in on letting you do me in the forest though,” he commented. Jongin looked smug at that. “I can be convincing when I want to be,” he replied. Kyungsoo didn’t know if he would be able to resist Jongin’s persuasions.

They hiked till the sun was high up in the sky, passing through miles and miles of grass and trees before Kyungsoo dumped his bag on the ground and declared it was lunchtime in a shaded area. Everyone agreed, and the vampires in their company wanted a little nap. “An hour, at least,” Jongdae said.

“An hour is good enough for lunch,” Kyungsoo agreed. So while the vampires settled in for a nap in the sun (with their magic sunscreen on, of course), Kyungsoo laid out his skins to sit on while Jongin, Suho and Minseok went off to foraging or whatever. There wasn’t enough time to hunt anyway, so they promised to return with a refreshing selection of edible leaves and berries. But Kyungsoo wasn’t all that hungry, so whatever they brought back didn’t really matter. He just wanted to rest his aching for awhile. He set out his skins beside Yixing on purpose, avoiding Luhan. At least Yixing was quiet when he was reading.

Chanyeol chose to sit beside Kyungsoo instead of Luhan too, so by the time Luhan waved Sehun goodbye, he suddenly realized he had been cut off by his own little gang.

“Why is everyone crowded around you? Are we talking about something boring?” Luhan asked, when he spotted them.

“No, we don’t like you,” Kyungsoo stated.

Luhan huffed at him, flinging his skins to the ground beside Yixing. “Is that really how you’re gonna be once you start settling in?”

Kyungsoo pretended to think about it, looking up at the trees. “Kinda seems like it, if you’re gonna drag us out to God knows where every time you get bored of staying at home all the time.”

Luhan ignored his reply, pulling at some weeds. “By the way, I got your message from Jongdae,” he said, glancing up at Yixing. He was so absorbed in his book that he didn’t even realize they were talking over him. Kyungsoo glared at it, giving him the drop-the-subject look.

“Don’t worry about it. And I’ll help out, of course,” Luhan smiled. Yixing flipped the page across his book excitedly, and Kyungsoo tried to get a look at the cover to see what he was so interested about: _The Legacy of the White Wolves._ It sounded interesting enough, but really, was he reading up about Jongin’s heritage when he could’ve spent time reeling Minseok in?

Well, in any case, Kyungsoo didn’t have anything better to do for now. “Er, Yixing, has Jongdae brought up my Turning to you?” Kyungsoo said, trying to bring him back into the real world. He looked up blearily, not catching Kyungsoo’s entire sentence. He repeated it for Yixing, and he made a sound of comprehension.

“He did. Why do you ask?” he said, but didn’t put the book down. Luhan eyed it in a scary way; Kyungsoo wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of that look. Yixing’s question put him off though. He didn’t expect him to ask why. “Oh, nothing, it’s just that um, you know, I thought—”

“He wantsh to knoe eef yoo knoe any morh abaoot duh bampires, and speethifically abaoot Turning,” Chanyeol cut in, finishing his sentence. Nice save, Kyungsoo mouthed to him, pretending to nod at him. Yixing blinked in mild surprise.

“Well I don’t think I know much else than Sehun, perhaps you should ask him—”

“But I wanna ask you,” Kyungsoo said, putting a hand over Yixing’s fair skinned hand. He had heard from somewhere that if you said something startlingly honest, one should go for physical contact for a more personal touch. Kyungsoo tried not to let his gaze waver from Yixing’s brown eyes.

“Let me think and see if there’s anything else I can tell you then,” Yixing said slowly, placing his book down in his lap. Luhan leapt at the opportunity and took the book gently out of his grasp. “Can I see it?” he asked with a bright smile. Yixing nodded distractedly, already far off in his own world. Luhan leafed through the pages in disgust, muttering, “So many words…”

“Um, would you like to hear about legends or proven facts?” Yixing said, squinting at nothing in particular, lost in his thoughts. Kyungsoo slapped Chanyeol’s thigh, trying to get him involved in the conversation as well. “Any of those would be fine, I mean, we have the time, right?” Kyungsoo said. Chanyeol scooted over and sat in front of them.

The idea was to keep Yixing occupied until Minseok came back and somehow involve him in the conversation too, and then slowly escape one by one to let them have a bit of a private talk. Kyungsoo hoped history wasn’t the only thing Yixing liked; it’d be difficult to strike up a conversation with him. Unless Minseok liked that sort of thing, of course.

“Some people say if a werewolf were to try to Turn himself into a vampire, he will never be able to revert into his human form,” Yixing said thoughtfully, poking his own dimple absently. “Oh,” Kyungsoo replied eloquently. “And um, why is that so?” he continued, trying to look like he was concentrating. Yixing went on and on about spells and whatnot which frankly, was just boring. It was downright dry, drier than Kyungsoo’s skin whenever he forgot to put on lotion during winter.

“I also read something about a vampire who tried to Turn himself into a Pureblood, but he ended up turning into stone. Very upsetting,” Yixing shook his head. Even Chanyeol didn’t know what to say, and was for once almost entirely silent.

Kyungsoo almost nodded off at one point, which roused Yixing’s suspicions. “Are you bored, Kyungsoo? I know it sounds a bit boring but it could be important,” he said. Kyungsoo waved a hand, rubbing at his eyes. “No, no, it’s just the sun, y’know, it’s just so… so bright,” he said. “Also, I was up quite late last night,” Kyungsoo said without thinking. Luhan’s head snapped up at that. He had been listening, though he was half asleep too.

“Oh yeah? Doing what?” Luhan snickered, throwing a pile of small, dry leaves he had gathered. Why wasn’t Jongin back yet?

“You were rude enough to barge in, I’m sure you know what we were doing,” Kyungsoo pursed his lips. Yixing picked out a leaf from his fringe. “Make a wish,” he said brightly. Kyungsoo blew at it, watching it float away. “I thought you only did that with eyelashes,” Kyungsoo remarked.

He turned to Chanyeol for confirmation, but he was already asleep. Having a nocturnal boyfriend must’ve taken quite a few hours out from his sleeping schedule. Yixing looked confused. “Having your eyelashes fall out is a natural occurrence… Accidentally catching leaves in your hair is not,” Yixing lifted an eyebrow at Kyungsoo. “I don’t pretend to know why we do these sort of things,” Kyungsoo said honestly.

He leaned back on his arms, yawning, and he was ready to resume listening to Yixing drone on about everything he had ever read in his books when Kyungsoo felt the earth thumping beneath him. He glanced around to see what it was, spotting Jongin, Suho and Minseok walking towards them. _That was weird_ , Kyungsoo thought, looking down at his hands.

Yixing waved at all of them brightly, and Luhan looked up, trying to see what they had brought back for lunch. Suho was holding a small bag in his hand so Kyungsoo assumed it was Luhan’s lunch (he had ordered Suho to bring him a myriad of strangely named berries). Jongin and Minseok too had a little bag each.

“How was the foraging?” Yixing asked them. Chanyeol snapped himself awake suddenly, and stared at them blearily. “They’re back already?” he mumbled. “They were gone for over an hour,” Kyungsoo told him. Baekhyun, Sehun and Jongdae were still sleeping in a pile as well. _Lazy bums_ , Kyungsoo thought.  

“It was quite fun, actually. Suho showed me a few I’d never seen before,” Minseok replied Yixing excitedly. Luhan and Kyungsoo looked at each other. “What did you bring me, Suho?” Luhan asked. Suho handed him the little bag and Luhan poured its contents out in his lap. Berries in shades of purple and red fell out, among a few other leaves. Luhan giggled excitedly.

“Ooh, my favourite! And these—” Kyungsoo glared at him. “And were these the ones you had never seen before? Tell us about how the plant looks like and all that,” Luhan quickly said to Minseok. Yixing came closer to have a look too, and Kyungsoo slowly crawled away with Chanyeol.

“I don’t know how Luhan is gonna get out of that, but it’s his problem now,” Kyungsoo said, glancing at Chanyeol. To his surprise, Chanyeol’s eyes were red and watery around the edges. “Um, are you okay?” Kyungsoo asked, putting a hand on his shoulder. Jongin looked up at Kyungsoo for a moment, and narrowed his eyes when he saw Kyungsoo touching Chanyeol.

“Just really sleepy for some reason,” Chanyeol said, blinking his eyes rapidly. He rubbed at his teary eyes. “Don’t rub it, you’ll make it worse. Go to sleep if you want to, I’ll tell Jongin you’re not feeling well,” Kyungsoo took his hand away from his face. “Hey, you’re getting kind of warm,” Kyungsoo noted, feeling the heat from his skin.

“Maybe I’m falling sick,” Chanyeol said, putting a hand to his forehead. “We should get Sehun to wake up and heal you—” Kyungsoo started to say. A shadow suddenly loomed over them, and Kyungsoo looked up to find Jongin staring down at them with an unreadable expression.

“Are you alright?” he said to Chanyeol. “Yeah, I think I have a fever, but I don’t know—”

“I’ll wake Jongdae up for you,” Jongin said curtly, walking away. “What’s with him?” Chanyeol said, staring after him. Kyungsoo shrugged his shoulders. “No idea. Could be angry with me, I guess, but I haven’t done anything wrong,” he said, furrowing his eyebrows.

“Nothing wrong that you know of,” Chanyeol said to him pointedly. Kyungsoo rolled his eyes. “He’s not that vindictive. If he’s pissed, he would’ve said something.”

“Big word,” Chanyeol remarked. “And look at Luhan pretending he needs the bathroom,” Chanyeol laughed, pointing at Luhan. Kyungsoo shifted his gaze from Jongin’s cold back view to Luhan scrambling to the woods, pretending to pee.

Then Kyungsoo heard a wail of annoyance, and he looked back at Jongin. Jongdae was kicking at the air and turning over, trying to go back to sleep while Jongin poked at his ear, his arm, his waist, anything to get him to wake up. “It’s not my problem if your boyfriend has friends other than you!” Jongdae wailed childishly.

 _Is Jongin jealous about me and Chanyeol?_ Kyungsoo thought, puzzled. What was there to be jealous about? Although Chanyeol was a good friend, Kyungsoo also found him to be quite mad. On the other hand, Chanyeol used to think Kyungsoo was suicidally depressed because he rarely ever spoke before he met Jongin. Moreover, they were only friends because of Baekhyun.

Jongin suddenly said something to make Jongdae stiffen visibly, maybe even pale slightly. He muttered something back to Jongin, he replied him with a few words as well, and Jongdae got up, heading over to Chanyeol. “Heard you were sick. Kyungsoo, Kai wants a word with you,” Jongdae said, pointing a thumb at Jongin who was waiting beneath a tree.

“What does he want?” Kyungsoo said, grunting as Jongdae hauled him up to his feet. “He didn’t say,” Jongdae replied, patting his clothes free of grass and taking his place beside Chanyeol. “I’ll be charging for all my consultation sessions from now on,” he said matter-of-factly to Chanyeol. “I’ll help to pay for it,” Kyungsoo said quickly.

“Oh? Twenty gold coins then, since it’s from your sugar daddy,” Jongdae said without a hitch. He held out his already glowing hands to Chanyeol, motioning for him to come closer. Kyungsoo kicked his bum, ignoring his cry of pain. Kyungsoo skipped to Jongin’s side before Jongdae could retaliate.

“Hi. You wanted to speak with me?” Kyungsoo said, looking up at Jongin expectantly. He didn’t know why he was being so formal, but then again Jongin had never wanted to ‘speak’ with Kyungsoo before.

He took Kyungsoo’s hand without replying, lacing their fingers together. “Love, am I nothing to you after all you have said?” he asked quietly, almost pitifully. Kyungsoo was baffled. “Um, wait. What? Where is this coming from?”

Jongin lifted up their hands, holding up in front of Kyungsoo. “You touched someone else other than me,” he mumbled, avoiding Kyungsoo’s gaze. Was he actually serious about this?

“Jongin, is this supposed to be a joke?” Kyungsoo blurted. He shook his head, looking hurt that Kyungsoo didn’t believe him. “Why were you in contact with Chanyeol? And if I’m not wrong, you touched Yixing too,” Jongin went on, sounding petulant.

“He’s my friend, that’s why. I only touched his forehead to see if he’s sick. And I only patted Yixing’s hand!” Kyungsoo protested. Jongin continued to look sullen, refusing to meet Kyungsoo’s gaze. “Why did you pat his hand?”

Kyungsoo couldn’t help laughing at Jongin’s petulance. “Oh my God, is this you getting jealous?” he asked. “If you want me to pat you or touch your forehead to take your temperature then sure,” Kyungsoo said, pushing Jongin’s fringe away to press his hand to Jongin’s forehead.

“I’m feeling very far away from you right now, love,” Jongin said dryly. Kyungsoo laughed, taking his hand away and holding up one of Jongin’s hand to pat it repeatedly. “See? I’m patting your hand too,” Kyungsoo said. “Anything else you want me to do? Maybe rub you down or something?” he asked.

Jongin’s gaze darkened at that suggestion. “We could rub each other down in the bushes,” he said. Kyungsoo hit Jongin on the chest lightly, laughing. “I knew it. Why are you so interested in having sex in the forest? What if squirrels watch us? What if Sehun overhears us?” Kyungsoo laughed.

“Why the reluctance, love?” Jongin replied, wrapping his arms around Kyungsoo’s torso. Kyungsoo could hear a smile in his voice and knew he had cheered Jongin up, at least for now. “If it’ll get you off the subject about touching people, then maybe I’ll think about it,” Kyungsoo said, resisting the urge to wrap a leg around Jongin’s waist. He was very easy to climb, like a tree almost.

“My brother or your companion is alright, but no more than that,” Jongin said, tightening his hold on Kyungsoo as if to emphasise his point. “You are being extra ridiculous today,” Kyungsoo said in his ear. “Well, you have been touching far too many people for my taste,” Jongin replied, moving in for a kiss. Kyungsoo pecked him on the lips and turned away quickly before Jongin got all 18+ on him.

Jongin pouted when Kyungsoo refused to let Jongin kiss him. “There are too many people here,” Kyungsoo whispered, placing both hands on the sides of his face. “When we have a private moment to ourselves, I promise I’ll let you put your hands on me,” Kyungsoo said, giving him one more kiss on the lips because he didn’t want to come off being distant. 

Jongin smiled at that, hugging Kyungsoo tightly with a small smile. 

*

When the sun started its descent towards the east, the vampires finally woke up and they set off at supernatural speed because Luhan said, “What the fuck guys, I’m on a tight schedule and I can’t take an extra day off!” Kyungsoo decided not to point out the fact that he was the one who wanted to go camping in the first place and that more than half of their company were still dragging their feet out of reluctance.

Jongin Phased, and Kyungsoo got on his back with all their backpacks. Yixing got all flustered when he realized he was going to have to ride Minseok, and Luhan went into conman mode, going on about how they were friends, but he would never let Yixing get on his back because “That’s just crossing the line of friendship, dude.” Suho volunteered to take Chanyeol, so Yixing was left with no choice but to get on Minseok’s back, blushing harder than when Kyungsoo first met Jongin.

“You think he’ll faint by the time we reach the lake?” Kyungsoo asked Jongin, digging his fingers into Jongin’s fur. Jongin made a wheezing, coughing sound of laughter in response.

Kyungsoo leaned forward on Jongin for the entire trip. Riding him was worse than being driven around by Chanyeol; he was quite sure they were travelling at seventy miles per hour from the way his stomach lurched around inside him. Skipping lunch suddenly didn’t seem like such a good idea.

Moving at top speed, however, made Kyungsoo think about being a werewolf, all its advantages and disadvantages. Becoming a werewolf would mean being in the same species as Jongin which meant something to Kyungsoo in a childish, security blanket safe net kind of way. They would also be irrevocably together in every single way, and whatever else that came with being a werewolf, Jongin would certainly be there to teach him and guide him.

But there was still that problem about maybe having a short lifespan even if he survived the Turning, and he bit his lip. Sehun had to come up with something soon, or he would be forced to become a vampire, which frankly, looked like a hassle. Drinking blood all the time, learning how to wield magic… Kyungsoo didn’t want to do all that. Furthermore, Kyungsoo and Jongin wouldn’t even be awake at the same time of the day. If he was going to do eternity, he was going to have to do it properly.  

 When they reached the lake, Kyungsoo was hardly surprised when his legs wobbled and he dropped to his knees while getting down.

Jongin nosed at him, whining piteously in his throat. “I’m fine, just a little wobbly,” Kyungsoo laughed, shooing him away. Kyungsoo wondered if Jongin was the shedding sort of canine. “Jongin, do you ever shed?” he asked, getting up to his numb feet.

Jongin snorted at him. “Just asking. Don’t want you to be bald by the time we’re old,” Kyungsoo laughed. He collected their bags and went up to Jongdae, looking around their campsite as he walked slowly.

The lake was large, a vast oasis of water stretching into a gigantic circle. There were still plenty of trees around them, but towards the lake it was mostly just grass. Turning a full 360 degrees, Kyungsoo noticed that they were fairly secluded, and understood why Luhan had said there would be shade for any of their ‘needs’.

The trees looked scary at night, but since Kyungsoo was in a group of ten he didn’t think too much about being scared. There were three vampires and four werewolves after all. Surely ghosts would keep away from them?

“Jongdae, what if it rains?” Kyungsoo asked, when he reached his side. Jongdae blinked at his question, unzipping his bag. “It won’t. I can control the weather if it’s bad,” Jongdae told him.

“Right. That was dumb,” Kyungsoo winced. Of course, Jongdae could control the weather. Then Baekhyun could maybe give them some light.

The werewolves went into the trees to Phase back, and the rest of them started to set up camp. Miraculously enough, Jongdae had actually managed to fit two very large tents into his bag, so he and Sehun tried to set it up according to the instruction manual, reading it aloud to each other.

“Stick those poles into the ground, Sehun,” Jongdae said, trying his best to understand the words printed in the manual. The poles looked all the same to Kyungsoo, and he slinked away before Jongdae thought about asking him to set the camp up instead. Kyungsoo had never even seen a real tent before, and wasn’t about to be ridiculed in front of everyone.

“Hey, Kyungsoo, should we play in the water for a while?” Luhan asked him. He had already rolled out his skins, setting out his outfit for the night. “Won’t it be pretty cold?” Kyungsoo asked. Luhan scoffed at him. “You’ll have my brother to warm you up, don’t worry about getting cold. And Baekhyun will be here if you do catch a cold or pneumonia or whatever.”

“How do you even know what is pneumonia?” Kyungsoo asked, throwing his bags beside Luhan’s skins. The spot he had picked out looked just as good as any other.

“I read Baekhyun’s atlas,” Luhan said proudly. _Oh, the books I brought back for Baekhyun_ , Kyungsoo realized. At least he didn’t bring them back for nothing. “Okay then. Should we get naked or…?”

“Whoa, hold up there, I wasn’t flirting with you,” Luhan said, putting a hand out. Kyungsoo slapped his hand away, rolling his eyes while Luhan laughed. “Your choice, I guess. I’m going all out, but I don’t know about you,” Luhan shrugged. Kyungsoo looked at the lake, wondering how cold it was gonna be.

“Can you go in first, and tell me how could it is?” Kyungsoo said. Luhan nodded, undoing his robes. Baekhyun ambled over just then, and saw Luhan undressing himself. “Oh, are we swimming now?” Baekhyun asked, flinging his bag down beside Kyungsoo’s pile.

“Yeah, it seems like it. I’m worried about it being cold though,” Kyungsoo said, looking at the lake again.

“Why? I can heal you if anything goes wrong, and you got your werewolf boyfriend. Nothing to worry about,” Baekhyun waved a hand dismissively at him, taking off his clothes as well. Kyungsoo sat down on Luhan’s skins, watching them take off their clothes. “Why don’t you guys go in first, and I’ll see if it’s cold for you,” Kyungsoo said.

Jongin wasn’t out of the trees yet, or maybe he was already hunting for food. In any case, he wanted to wait for Jongin, at least. If the water got too cold, he wasn’t about to ask Luhan to hug him and warm him up.

“Don’t be a wuss, just get in the water,” Baekhyun said to Kyungsoo, throwing off the last of his robes and running towards the water, screaming. “Wait for me!” Luhan called, thankfully tossing his clothes over Kyungsoo’s face by accident. Kyungsoo didn’t want to see the both of them naked.

Jongdae spotted Kyungsoo seated by the water and called him over. Kyungsoo got up to see what he wanted, patting his hands down in case of grass sticking to his pants. “Aren’t you gonna swim?” Jongdae asked, holding up a part of the tent for Sehun. “Um, I don’t wanna get in if it’s cold,” Kyungsoo laughed nervously.

“Why are you worried about getting cold? All of us are here if anything goes wrong,” Jongdae said nonchalantly. Sehun pulled at the tent roughly, trying to get it to sit nicely over the poles. _If three people in a row are telling me there’s nothing to worry about then…_ Kyungsoo looked over at Luhan who was trying to drown Baekhyun by sitting on his back.

“Fine,” Kyungsoo said to himself. He jiggled his shoulders, hands going to the buttons of his coat _. I might not ever experience this as a human anymore,_ he thought. Might as well risk getting sick one last time, he figured. As everyone else seemed to say; why the hell not?

Kyungsoo went to the edge of the water, taking off his clothes slowly and kicking off his shoes. The cold air seeped into his bones as he undressed, and his teeth started chattering long before he ever entered the water. Baekhyun caught sight of him trying to kick his pants off without removing his boxers, and swam over to give Kyungsoo an unwelcome hand.

“No, go away, don’t pull my boxers off—!” Kyungsoo protested as Baekhyun lifted himself up halfway out of the water, grappling at Kyungsoo’s underwear like some demonic merman. “Get naaaaked,” Baekhyun jeered, dragging his syllables. Kyungsoo tripped over his own shoes while struggling to maintain his dignity and Baekhyun took advantage of his imbalance, giving his boxers one last tug before they both fell back into the water.

The first thought Kyungsoo had when he hit the surface of the motherfucking ice cold water was _shit, this is too cold._ He struggled to get his head above the water while Baekhyun dumped handfuls of water over him, giggling hysterically.

“Somebody save me,” Kyungsoo gurgled, trying to get a hold of Baekhyun’s hands. Chanyeol must’ve joined them as well, because as soon as he managed to gain footing on the rocky bottom of the lake, someone dumped what felt like a bucket of cold water over his head, laughing in a deep, caveman like voice.

Kyungsoo couldn’t take no more of this aquatic abuse, and yelled something incomprehensible, splashing water with his arms in all directions out of frustration. Luhan, Chanyeol and Baekhyun laughed so hard they barely reacted to the water show around them, pointing at Kyungsoo and falling over into the water. Kyungsoo couldn’t see the humour in murdering someone by accidentally on purposely drowning them, but apparently they did.

“Okay, Kyungsoo, that’s enough of splashing water around,” Luhan snorted, holding out his hands to protect his face. Kyungsoo gave him a withering look. “Promise we won’t try to kill you,” Baekhyun smiled, dipping back into the water to wet his hair.

“The water’s too cold,” Kyungsoo complained, following Baekhyun’s example in re entering the water. He didn’t last very long in staying beneath the water though; it was just too cold for him to handle. Kyungsoo glanced around to see if Jongin had returned. _He isn’t back yet_ , Kyungsoo pouted unconsciously.

Chanyeol flicked some water at Kyungsoo’s face, earning a scowl from him. “You said you would stop with the water attacks,” Kyungsoo whined, rubbing at his eyes. “No we didn’t. We just said we’d stop trying to drown you,” Baekhyun replied calmly.

Kyungsoo grunted as he shot forward, ready to strangle the life out of Baekhyun. He laughed in a weird high pitched voice as he tried to escape Kyungsoo’s wrath by moving away from him, but Kyungsoo soon caught him. Being a vampire made no difference as he tried to manoeuvre through the viscous water.

“Kyungsoo, would you like to enjoy the fire?” Jongdae asked calmly as Kyungsoo wrapped his arm around Baekhyun in a headlock.

“What fire?” Kyungsoo asked, looking up at him. Jongdae pointed at some distance away from him, and Kyungsoo spotted large flames as Sehun poked at the burning logs cautiously. “Oh God, yes,” Kyungsoo gasped, releasing his hold on Baekhyun.

He got out of the lake as best as he could without showing his important bits to anyone. Chanyeol tossed a handful of water at him as he ran to get his clothes, but otherwise he was relatively safe from those three idiots in the water.

Yixing, who was by far the kindest person out of everyone here, kindly offered to hold up his own towel to let Kyungsoo change behind it. Kyungsoo accepted his offer and stood up against the wind, grinding his teeth as he wiped himself down with a towel. He could still hear the kids splashing around as well as loud shouts from Chanyeol. Baekhyun and Luhan must’ve ganged up on him like a pack of vultures attacking their prey. But as long as it wasn’t Kyungsoo, then it didn’t really matter who was suffering in the water.

“Are you done?” Yixing asked softly through the makeshift divider. “Almost,” Kyungsoo said, looking for his sweater among the pile of clothes. It was hard to see. Everything was so dark…

White lights drifted in Kyungsoo’s direction, and he almost screamed in surprise when he could suddenly see his clothes in the darkness. Yixing felt him jolt against the towel and said, “Baekhyun is trying to see if the lights can work underwater.”

Kyungsoo wrapped his towel around his wet hair tightly, a surly expression on his face. “’Course he would. Did he light up the entire area?”

“Yes. It’s quite beautiful to see, actually. Can I drop the towel now?” Yixing replied. Kyungsoo hummed at him, putting on his fluffy sweater as Yixing took the towel away. He was grateful for the lights, though he would never say that to Baekhyun’s face. They provided illumination as well as any other torchlight, but without the harsh glare.

While Jongdae moved some large logs around for them to sit in a circle around the fire later, Kyungsoo and Sehun stood by the lake, admiring the floating lights suspended in the air, courtesy of Baekhyun. Some danced on the surface of the lake, bouncing away from one another like fireflies while some floated to the treetops with a mind of their own. Luhan tried to catch some of them, splashing water up into the air to see if they would disappear.

It was beautiful indeed, as Yixing had said. It made the lake look magical even though knew Kyungsoo it was nothing more than little lights and reflection. “Pretty,” Kyungsoo murmured, holding a hand out to one of the lights. It settled in his palm like a butterfly, weightless and bright.

“Hey guys, watch this,” Baekhyun said. Even Jongdae looked up to see what he could do. Baekhyun held out a hand, palm first, and twisted his hand like he was unscrewing a light bulb from its socket. The lights jolted and moved as a group towards his hand like lights from a disco ball, stopping when Baekhyun stilled his hand. Kyungsoo stared up at the sky in wonder, mouth dropping open. Then Baekhyun moved his hand again, this time clockwise, and the lights dispersed together, spreading out across the lake.

Baekhyun lifted his hand up slowly, and the lights followed. As his hand reached for the sky, so did the lights, moving jerkily as if Baekhyun had strings tied to each and every one of the lights. Then finally, Baekhyun slapped his hand across the water surface and the lights bounced away like little balls, moving individually once more.

Someone started clapping, and then the rest joined in, whooping and wow-ing everywhere. Kyungsoo couldn’t help clapping as well, smiling at Baekhyun. He felt proud of his best friend (even though he had been betrayed fashion-wise) and of what he had managed to achieve so far as a vampire in such a short time. Baekhyun looked embarrassed as Luhan whacked him on the back and Chanyeol poured water over his hair.

“That was nice,” Yixing commented, putting a hand on Kyungsoo’s shoulder and leading him towards the fire, where Jongdae was playing with a few of the lights. Kyungsoo considered pretending to brush away Yixing’s hand, since Jongin wasn’t such a fan of people being in contact with Kyungsoo but he had just been so nice to him, so he let Yixing lead him to the fire, and sat down quickly on a large log.

Sehun was still poking at the fire, and sparks flew into the air as he kept the fire going. “Marshmallow?” Sehun said to Kyungsoo, holding out a plastic bag to him.

“Where did you get marshmallows?” Kyungsoo asked, taking it and ripping it open. “I got it at Walmart. Don’t Purebloods love to toast them over fires or something?” Jongdae asked. Yixing shook his head, looking at the marshmallows suspiciously. “I’ve never seen anything like that.”

“It’s just beaten egg whites. Try one,” Kyungsoo urged him, pushing the bag to his face. Yixing took one curiously, pressing it between his fingers in wonder. “It’s so soft,” he said, squeezing it gently. Kyungsoo nodded. “Yeah, it is. Now eat it,” he said, and watched as Yixing put it in his mouth.

“Wow,” Yixing breathed, eyes widening at the sweet taste and soft texture of the marshmallow. Jongdae smiled at his reaction. “Is it good?” he asked. Yixing nodded. “Oh wow, it’s just—I don’t know how to describe it,” Yixing said, reaching for another.

Kyungsoo handed the bag to him and looked around for a stick to toast the marshmallow with. “I wanna toast the marshmallow,” Kyungsoo said absently, standing up to see if there was a small stick he could use. Sehun handed him one quietly, and he took it, showing Yixing how to toast it.

“Put the marshmallow here,” Kyungsoo said, sticking the marshmallow through the stick. “And then you hold it over the fire. Not for too long though, or it’ll melt,” Kyungsoo told Yixing, who nodded obediently. Kyungsoo held it precariously over the flames for a few seconds, turning it over quickly and letting it brown around the sides.

“Have it,” he said, when it was finally done and handed it to Yixing. He bit into it and gave a sigh, closing his eyes. “Heaven, I know,” Kyungsoo said, patting his back. Jongdae chuckled at Yixing’s reaction. “I’m gonna toast another one,” Yixing said, taking a few marshmallows in his hand. Kyungsoo let him have his fun, sitting straight while Yixing got excited on his own.

“Oh right, Kyungsoo, there was something I wanted to tell you about…” Sehun trailed off, lifting his eyebrows knowingly. “Ah. You can just talk about it now,” Kyungsoo said, motioning for Sehun to continue.

“But Kai’s not here. Maybe we should wait for him, so I don’t have to repeat myself,” Sehun suggested.

“Is it good news or bad news?” Kyungsoo asked. Sehun paused, thinking about it. “It depends on the way you look at it. I don’t know how you’ll feel about it, but I’ll tell you later on. Maybe after dinner,” Sehun said. Kyungsoo’s heart didn’t feel very settled when Sehun said that. What if either Jongin or Kyungsoo didn’t like it?

At that moment, Kyungsoo felt a presence behind him. His nape prickled as he felt the heavy gaze of someone boring holes into his head, and he looked up to see who it was, locking gazes with warm, brown eyes. “Oh, it’s you,” Kyungsoo said happily, throwing his arms backwards around Jongin’s torso.

Jongin smiled, bending over to place a kiss on his cheek. “Who did you think it was?” he asked. “Not you,” Kyungsoo replied, turning to Yixing and taking a marshmallow out of the bag. “Here, have some of this,” Kyungsoo said, stuffing it into Jongin’s mouth.

He chewed on it thoughtfully, cringing a second later. “What’s wrong?” Kyungsoo furrowed his eyebrows. Jongin moved to sit beside Kyungsoo, looking like he was ready to spit into the fire. “What is this substance, love? It is far too sweet,” Jongin said, swallowing thickly. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed, and Kyungsoo poked at it curiously.

“It was a marshmallow. You didn’t like it?”

Jongin shook his head. “Too bad. I think it’s nice though,” Kyungsoo said, putting one into his mouth. “What did you bring back for us?” Kyungsoo asked, watching Suho dump a bag on the ground beside Sehun. “A wild boar,” Jongin replied simply. Minseok plopped down beside Yixing with a sigh, declining the marshmallows when Yixing offered it to him.

“I’ll get some sticks to roast it,” Jongdae said, getting up to go gather more branches for the fire. “I’ll help,” Suho said, drinking some water from his oilskin.

“Was the boar hard to catch?” Kyungsoo asked. Jongin jutted his chin out at Minseok’s direction. “He was the one who caught it. Suho and I just cornered it, but Minseok gave it the final blow,” Jongin said, putting an arm around Kyungsoo casually.

Kyungsoo huddled into his embrace, thankful for his warmth. “I went into the water just now. Your brother and Baekhyun are bitches,” Kyungsoo informed Jongin, leaning on his shoulder. “What did they do to you?” Jongin kissed the top of his head, rubbing his hand over Kyungsoo’s shoulder comfortingly.

“They tried to drown him,” Sehun cut in, bringing a knife out of his pocket and began to deal with the boar’s dead body. Jongin froze, looking down at Kyungsoo. “Did they?” he asked seriously.

“He doesn’t mean it literally,” Kyungsoo said, rolling his eyes. “They were just playing a little roughly, that’s all. I mean, look at Chanyeol, I don’t know how he’s still in the water with them,” Kyungsoo said, pointing at Chanyeol. Luhan and Baekhyun were playing Marco Polo with him, except they had already gotten out of the water, and Chanyeol was alone in the lake.

Jongin observed Kyungsoo’s face, searching for any bruises or wounds. “They didn’t hurt me,” Kyungsoo said, taking Jongin’s hand away. “And it was just water,” he added. Jongin was such a worry wart. Kyungsoo was surprised he still had black hair.

“Perhaps I will show them the meaning of playing rough later,” he muttered, drawing Kyungsoo closer.

*

Jongdae and Suho soon returned with the sticks, and they began to set it up over the fire. Once in a while, the wind would blow against the flames, and embers would float into the air, making Kyungsoo squeak as they flew by inches away from his face.

Jongin flicked them away with his hand, laughing at Kyungsoo’s startled expression. Kyungsoo felt shy when he did that in front of everyone, even though no one was really paying attention to the both of them. It just made him feel small and incapable of doing anything, although he was happy that Jongin didn’t mind shooing away stray embers for him.

“Thank you,” Kyungsoo mumbled in his ear, blushing a deep red. His ears burned with embarrassment as he held Jongin’s hand tightly while they waited for the boar to cook. Jongin didn’t say anything, but Kyungsoo could see him suppressing a smile when he thought Kyungsoo wasn’t paying attention.

Baekhyun, Luhan and Chanyeol got out of the water when the wind started to blow quite strongly, and they sat around the fire to warm themselves after getting dressed. It was a thousand years later before Jongdae declared their dinner ready, and began carving pieces of meat for them while Sehun distributed paper plates from Jongdae’s luggage bag.

It may have taken over an hour to cook the boar, but it didn’t take any longer than forty minutes for everyone to eat all of it, even if three people out of ten weren’t eating. The meat tasted alright, good enough to eat in Kyungsoo’s opinion. Luhan looked like he didn’t really like it, but he couldn’t really be picky with his food since it was a forest and all.

Jongdae brought bottles of blood for the vampires in their company, making everyone else cringe when he poured some out into cups for Sehun and Baekhyun. “Jongdae, what does blood taste like to you?” Kyungsoo asked out of curiosity, tossing a bone into the fire when he was done with it.

“Tastes… nice? I don’t know.” Jongdae shrugged, drinking it up. “I don’t really think about the taste.” Baekhyun waved a hand at Kyungsoo. “It tastes salty, Soo. But it doesn’t make me feel sick when I drink it,” he replied. Even Jongin wrinkled his nose at his answer.

“Ugh, too much information,” Yixing said, elbowing Baekhyun in the ribs playfully. Chanyeol wasn’t even paying attention to them, chewing blankly as he stared into space.

“Right, well, in conjunction of revealing too much information, I think it’s time for us to play a game now,” Luhan said, licking his fingers off. He sipped at some water before continuing. “We shall now commence the game of truth or dare!” Luhan cried, holding up his arms.

Baekhyun high fived him in support while the rest of them looked like they were ready to die. “How… How does this game work?” Minseok asked, feigning interest. “Well, we spin a bottle or something to determine who goes first, and that person can either choose truth or dare. If one chooses truth, then that person has to reveal something anyone asks them. If it’s a dare, then one of us will think of something ridiculous for the person to do,” Luhan explained cheerfully.

Yixing nodded in comprehension. “But how are we to determine who starts the game off first?” he asked. Jongdae took one of his bottled blood and tightened the cover, placing it horizontally on the empty spot beside him. The bottle balanced out nicely on the smooth, worn out log.

“I’ll spin it, and we can see who will start,” Jongdae said. Everyone around the fire agreed, and so Jongdae spun the bottle, watching it go around in circles before it stopped, the cover pointing at none other than Jongin.

“Kai, you’re up,” Jongdae said. He was mildly surprised and pointed at himself. “Am I included in this game?” he asked. “Everyone is,” Kyungsoo whispered. He sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Okay then. Truth or dare?” Luhan asked.

“…Dare,” Jongin said uncertainly. He looked uncomfortable as he watched Luhan ponder carefully. Kyungsoo just hoped he wouldn’t ask Jongin to strip in front of everyone or something like that.

“I dare you, my dear brother, to… kiss Kyungsoo in front of all of us. And not just peck him on the lips. Make it real deep,” Luhan added. Baekhyun hissed a yes, high fiving Luhan loudly. Kyungsoo dropped his head into his hands in despair. Jongdae tried not to smile as he added fuel to the fire. “It should last for five seconds, at least too,” he said to Jongin.

Jongin’s cheeks turned red as he looked at Kyungsoo with a shy expression. Everyone looked on curiously, wondering if Jongin was going to reject the dare. _He’s done it before though, why is he so hesitant suddenly?_ Kyungsoo wondered. Maybe it was the conscious feeling of everyone staring at them, anticipating a make out scene.

“Do I have to?” Jongin finally said lamely. Sehun nodded gravely, pointing a stick at him. “If you don’t do it then we’ll make Kyungsoo kiss Baekhyun.” Baekhyun retched at that, and Kyungsoo picked up a stone, flinging it at him. Baekhyun reacted in time to hit it into the fire, sticking his tongue out.

Jongin sighed heavily, shifting to fully face Kyungsoo. “Kiss him, kiss him,” Chanyeol slowly chanted. Kyungsoo shot him a withering look but the others joined in steadily, and soon everyone was goading Jongin on to just ‘kiss him already’ or ‘stick it in’. Kyungsoo could even see Yixing chanting along from the corner of his eye, and he blushed.

“I am sorry for this, love,” Jongin muttered under his breath. “It’s okay. Just do it already,” Kyungsoo said, placing a hand on his chest. Jongin took a deep breath, exhaling before he leaned in, closing his eyes as he kissed Kyungsoo gently.

Kyungsoo could feel Jongin’s heart racing beneath his hand, no different from Kyungsoo’s own heartbeat. This kiss felt different from the others now that it was intentionally for show, and Kyungsoo couldn’t say he didn’t enjoy it, since kissing Jongin was always enjoyable but it was sort of hot, the way Jongin’s lips moved against his own, deepening the kiss.

Jongin licked at his lips, coaxing them to open up, so Kyungsoo did, holding back a moan as he felt Jongin’s tongue in his own mouth. Vaguely, Kyungsoo could hear someone counting down the seconds, and he kissed Jongin back soundly, making sure it was a deep kiss so that Luhan couldn’t say anything about it.

They broke off with an embarrassingly wet sound when Chanyeol finally counted down to five, the tips of Jongin’s ears a bright red. Everyone clapped loudly, further embarrassing the both of them. “My work here is done,” Luhan announced, leaning over to pat Jongin’s thigh.

He averted his gaze from all of them, pretending to stare into the fire. Kyungsoo gave him a kiss on the cheek, whispering, “Don’t get so down, nobody cares.” Jongin covered his face with both of his hands, making a small sound. Kyungsoo laughed, mooshing his cheek.

“Okay, so now that they’re done,” Baekhyun said, gesturing for Jongdae to spin the bottle again. He did, letting it spin till it settled on Suho, and Luhan gave a loud OOOH for no reason. “Choose truth or dare,” Kyungsoo said. Suho thought about it, leaning forward on his knees.

Jongdae stared at him with a small smile on his lips, and Kyungsoo immediately had an idea. He waved at Luhan and pointed to himself, then to Suho. Luhan understood and gave him a thumbs up. Suho barely noticed them as he thought about it some more, and then he finally chose truth.

If he had chosen dare it would’ve been more satisfying for Kyungsoo, but oh well. “Suho, what is your opinion of Jongdae?” Kyungsoo asked loudly. Jongdae did a double take and stared at him incredulously. “What the fuck, Kyungsoo,” he said.

Kyungsoo ignored, waiting for Suho’s answer. Suho was rather surprised as well, but not as flustered as Kyungsoo thought he’d be. “Jongdae is a… comrade. He’s proven that he’s a trustworthy European, although he had every reason to betray us from the very start,” Suho answered carefully. Jongin clapped beside Kyungsoo awkwardly, and Kyungsoo quickly placed a hand over Jongin’s hands before Jongdae could stand up to murder Jongin.

“But personally, don’t you like him?” Kyungsoo asked, putting Suho in the spot. Suho blushed at that, his fair skin going red in a matter of seconds. Jongdae huffed angrily, muttering something under his breath. Sehun laughed beside him, almost choking on his cup of blood.

“I thought I only needed to answer one question,” Suho mumbled. “AHAHA, next!” Jongdae called, and spun the bottle quickly. Kyungsoo snickered at the both of them, leaning on Jongin. Jongin smiled a little, but chose not to comment.

The next victim was Luhan, and Kyungsoo butted in before anyone else had a chance, wanting to exact revenge on his brother in law. “Truth or dare?” he asked. “Don’t worry, you’ll suffer either way,” he added. Luhan rolled his eyes, choosing truth.

 _Excellent_ , Kyungsoo thought. “Tell everyone how was your first time like with Sehun,” Kyungsoo said, grinning from ear to ear. Sehun held his hands to his head with an expressionless look, but Kyungsoo could tell he was embarrassed. Minseok covered his ears, mumbling something about how he didn’t think something like this could come up on a camping trip.

Luhan looked like he wanted to throw something at Kyungsoo, but he settled for a thanks-a-lot expression because Jongin was beside Kyungsoo. He folded his arms indignantly, huffing angrily. “Honestly, this is private affairs we’re talking about—”

“And we traumatised everyone by kissing each other. Get on with it,” Kyungsoo cut in.

“Fine. Would you like to know who came first?”

Jongdae fell over backwards, laughing breathlessly. Suho stared at the stick in his hands, wondering if it was sturdy enough to drive it into his heart. “Whatever. Tell us something about when you first did it,” Kyungsoo urged Luhan. He wasn’t about to let him go so easily. Yixing waited for him to answer as well, smiling at his friend’s plight.

“Okay, um… Sehun has a dick about this big—” Luhan lifted his hands to show them, but Sehun grabbed his hands, putting them down into Luhan’s lap. “Luhan has a nice bum. Let’s leave it at that,” Sehun said stiffly. Kyungsoo felt tears sliding down his cheek as he laughed soundlessly, slapping his thighs. Baekhyun and Chanyeol roared with laughter, falling over each other.

“How round is it?” Jongdae quipped. Luhan stood up indignantly, hands on his hips. “Do you even need to ask?” he said.

Kyungsoo stood up to push Luhan back down into his seat before he started a fight, wiping away his tears of happiness. “Let’s just do the next person,” Kyungsoo said, clearing his throat. Jongdae took his cue and spun the bottle again, watching it closely.

The cover pointed between Yixing and Sehun, but since Sehun had just been so thoroughly humiliated, Kyungsoo said, “Yixing, it’s your turn. Minseok, would you like to ask him if he’d like to choose truth or dare?”

Luhan widened his eyes, giving Kyungsoo a secret thumbs up. Kyungsoo winked back at him in victory, resisting the urge to high five him.

Minseok, on the other hand, looked surprised at Kyungsoo’s offer. He was about to refuse, but then Jongin stepped in and said, “Go ahead, Minseok.” It was all he needed to give up hope on refusing to play along with the game.

“Yixing… Truth or dare?” he asked reluctantly. Yixing didn’t think twice. “Dare,” he replied, dimples appearing as he smiled in excitement. Clearly he had no idea how twisted this game could be with the wrong kind of friends.

“Ah. Dare. What should I—W-What do I do next?” Minseok asked Kyungsoo. “Think of something for him to do, like—” Kyungsoo looked around for inspiration. “Make him climb a tree, or eat a boar’s hoof,” Kyungsoo said. Minseok thought about it, fiddling with his fingers while Yixing waited expectantly.

“I dare you to…” Minseok said hesitantly, staring at the grass beneath his feet blankly. “I dare you to sleep without your skins tonight,” he said, snapping his fingers suddenly. Minseok smiled as he nodded to himself. “Yes, that’s it,” he said.

“Nothing else to add?” Kyungsoo said in disappointment. Minseok shook his head, while Yixing stared into the air blankly. “What if I get cold?” he asked innocently. That was when Luhan butted in and said, “Sleep without your skins… but sleep beside Minseok tonight,” Luhan announced, clapping his hands once. He bowed at Yixing like a genius.

Kyungsoo couldn’t argue with that, and neither did Minseok.

*

When they finally cleared away all the leftover food, some of them decided to take a dip into the lake, while the others such as Yixing, Kyungsoo, and Jongin dithered and sat by the edge of the lake instead, watching them play aggressively with one another in the water.

Kyungsoo had all but forgotten about what Sehun wanted to tell him awhile ago, but it suddenly came to him when he was admiring the planes of Jongin’s face, and the way Baekhyun’s light threw shadows over his cheekbones.

“Um, Jongin?” Kyungsoo said, inching closer to him. Kyungsoo tried to pretend he didn’t feel anything when Jongin drew his arm around him, leaning into Kyungsoo’s space. “Yes, love?” he replied attentively, looking down at him.

“Y’know, Sehun was supposed to tell us about what he had found in his books,” Kyungsoo started to say. Jongin remembered as well, and said, “Yes, he was supposed to tell us, wasn’t he? Shall I summon him now?”

“Maybe before we go to sleep. He’s having his fun now,” Kyungsoo said, feeling anxiety rise up in his chest. For some reason, he didn’t want to hear what Sehun had to say yet, wanted this ignorant bliss to last just a bit more.

“I suppose you’re right,” Jongin mused, sensing Kyungsoo’s reluctance. Sehun was paddling around the lake like a toddler, mindless of the mess Luhan was trying to make out of Jongdae’s hair. Kyungsoo couldn’t believe Sehun was over 400 years old; he was wearing floats on his arms, for God’s sake.

“I thought you would be eager to hear what Sehun has to say,” Jongin said, lifting an eyebrow at Kyungsoo. He laughed nervously under Jongin’s gaze, playing with Jongin’s fingers. “I _do_ want to hear it, I just…” Kyungsoo hesitated. _Just what?_ His subconscious asked. He had no excuse for his hesitance, but there it was, driving a wedge between Kyungsoo and his future.

“Just?” Jongin repeated, brushing away Kyungsoo’s hair from his face. Kyungsoo shrugged. “Nothing. I don’t know why I’m not as excited as I thought I’d be to find out what Sehun has found out.”

“Perhaps you’re not ready for this,” Jongin whispered in his ear. “I wouldn’t blame you if you wanted to wait this out, love.”

Kyungsoo shook his head. “I _am_ ready, I just—I’m hoping it’s not bad news. Being a Pureblood is such a hassle anyway,” Kyungsoo sighed, aligning his fingers with Jongin’s hand.

“You are not a hassle, my love, don’t ever say that. I worry that you’ll regret this over the years, that you realize how many experiences you’re giving away for this,” Jongin said softly. “ _This_ is us. And I’m confident, I know it in my heart, I just _know_ that there will be so much more for us in this life if I come through with this decision, Jongin,” Kyungsoo said insistently.

“I don’t care about the things I’ll miss. You don’t miss something if you’ve never felt it or if you’ve never experienced it. And anyway, I would want to do things with you. Don’t you?” Kyungsoo asked, leaning his chin on Jongin’s shoulder.

“It makes me… nervous, love, that you’re rushing through this,” Jongin said honestly.

“Who said I was rushing?” Kyungsoo asked. “It’s just—Love, you’re hardly an adult and you want to commit to becoming a Downworlder. Don’t you want more from life?” Jongin frowned. Kyungsoo sighed. “Is this really about me? Or are you the one who’s scared of commitment?”

Jongin blinked at the vehemence in his voice. Kyungsoo winced when he realized it came out sounding accusatory, and he apologized quickly, feeling angry at himself. “I’m sorry I said that, Jongin, I didn’t mean it that way,” he mumbled, pressing his fingers over his eyes. He didn’t want to cry on Luhan’s camping trip; Luhan would probably make a big fuss if he saw Kyungsoo tearing up.

“No, love, I understand that you might be upset,” Jongin said, kissing Kyungsoo’s forehead. “Not at you, though, just at the Universe and God or whoever decided we had to be different species,” Kyungsoo sighed heavily, pulling at some grass.   

“But like I said, love, you don’t have to Turn,” Jongin said, caressing his hair gently. “Yes I do,” Kyungsoo replied forlornly. “How else am I going to spend the rest of my time without you? You and I, Jongin… we were born to die,” Kyungsoo said, putting a hand on Jongin’s thigh.

Jongin blinked at him. “That is a song, isn’t it?”

“Yes, it is,” Kyungsoo replied, pinching his cheek lightly. “And like Lana said, Jongin, don’t make me sad, don’t make me cry, ‘cause sometimes… love is just not enough,” Kyungsoo said wistfully. It was true, in Kyungsoo’s case. He could tell Jongin how much he loved him, but it wouldn’t mean anything if he stayed here as a Pureblood. Change was bound to happen sooner or later, whether they liked it or not.

Jongin didn’t say anything for a long while. They sat together in a comfortable silence as lights floated around them languidly. Kyungsoo leaned on his shoulder, listening to the sound of water splashing around, circles rippling across the lake’s surface as the others squealed in the water.

“Are there any fishes in the lake?” Kyungsoo said, suddenly realizing this was a lake in the middle of nowhere. It wasn’t just some pool with Clorox, what if there were man-eating piranhas?

“Very few, tiny ones. Why?” Jongin asked, sounding like he was about to laugh. “Seems weird to be swimming in a place where there’s fish around. What if you kick one by accident?”

“It swims away,” Jongin replied, bemused. Kyungsoo rolled his eyes, half scoffing and half laughing.

“Aren’t you gonna go in?” Kyungsoo asked. Jongin hadn’t even dipped so much as a toe in since he came.

“Maybe in the morning, the water is too cold now,” he said, shrugging. Kyungsoo looked at him carefully. “You’re waiting for me to get in, aren’t you?” Jongin blushed, looking away from him. “I knew it, you wanna have sex in the forest and then have a swim with me! Oh, you pervert,” Kyungsoo said, kissing a surprised Jongin soundly on the lips.

“I-I-It’s not like that, love, please—” he stuttered. Kyungsoo waved his protest away. “In the morning. When it’s a little warmer, then we’ll have a dip into the water together. You’re right, it _is_ cold now, I mean. I would know, since your brother dumped half on it on me,” Kyungsoo said mater-of-factly.  

“I’ll have a word with him when I can, my love,” Jongin promised, hugging Kyungsoo closer. Kyungsoo cuddled into his arms, trying to get warm against the cold night air. “Come, love,” Jongin said, moving backwards and sliding a leg around Kyungsoo to gather him into his arms, pressing his front to Kyungsoo’s back.

“Ooh, much better,” Kyungsoo giggled, wrapping Jongin’s arms around his waist. He got all girly and blushed so hard that he didn’t even notice Sehun swimming towards them slowly, his forehead and eyes the only features visible above the water surface like a shark.

It wasn’t until Kyungsoo finally collected his scattered senses and looked straight ahead again that he noticed a pair of red eyes staring at him above the water surface, and he gave a strangled little scream.

“Oh, is that you, Sehun?” Jongin laughed. Sehun nodded silently without blinking. “Can you stop before I throw a stone at you?” Kyungsoo said crossly, feeling his skin crawl as Sehun stared at them without moving.

His eyes scrunched up into a smile then, and he stood up properly in the water, exposing his pale, thin body. Sehun was so thin it scared Kyungsoo; maybe he should’ve been one of those vampires who ‘ate’ more. Kyungsoo could see the faint outline of his ribcage, which frankly was alarming. He looked delicate and fragile, easily broken with the right kind of force. Of course, Kyungsoo reminded himself, he was a vampire. Sehun obviously didn’t break as easily as he looked, otherwise he wouldn’t be alive.

“Luhan told me to get you both. He says to ask, ‘why aren’t you playing with us?’” Sehun said, flicking his wet hair around. “It’s too cold now. Maybe in the morning,” Jongin told him. Kyungsoo nodded in agreement.

“Also, I thought I’d come over and tell you both what I wanted to say awhile ago before I forget again,” Sehun added, cupping water in his hands and lifting it up slowly like a child. Kyungsoo thought it looked cute, the way he was acting, and maybe that was what Luhan saw in him when no one else could.

“Right, we were just talking about that,” Kyungsoo said, leaning forward to listen closely. Jongin placed his head on Kyungsoo’s shoulder, putting his hands together in Kyungsoo’s lap.

“I told you I would go through my books to see what Turning into a werewolf would be like for you, and unfortunately, the results were disappointing,” Sehun said, dropping the water back into the lake heavily. “So far, the Purebloods who have tried to Turn into werewolves became deranged, or died during the process. Some people believe it is related to the magic involved in Phasing—in other words, Purebloods can’t take it because of the Phase. Their bodies aren’t built to Phase, and therefore the magic that enables werewolves to Phase is ‘too heavy’ for Purebloods, so to speak,” Sehun said, clearing his throat.

Comprehension dawned on Kyungsoo; it made sense that Purebloods couldn’t take it if they tried to Turn into werewolves because of the Phase. Only those who were born with the gift to ‘hold’ the magic, that is to say the werewolves, could handle it. Nevertheless, it was disappointing to hear it confirmed, that he could never be the same kind of species as Jongin.

“So that’s the bad news. The sort of good news is that I found an immortality spell,” Sehun said proudly. “It took _forever_ to go through Kai’s library, and then I had to get Jongdae on it as well because the book wasn’t available in Lycanfort,” Sehun said exasperatedly.

“Sorry,” Kyungsoo said sheepishly. He wasn’t even paying Sehun for all his help. “No, it’s not a problem, really,” Sehun shook his head, smiling in embarrassment.

“But anyway, Jongdae hasn’t passed the spell to me yet, even though he says he found the book already. Now, the only problem is that the spell is incomplete,” Sehun paused. Kyungsoo’s heart almost stopped when he said that.

“What?”

“I can try to re-write with different ingredients, get some of my friends to help me with the spell, but again, guys,” he lifted his shoulders apologetically. “I can’t promise anything. It’ll take awhile for me to stabilise the spell, make sure the ingredients are safe enough for you…”

“Anything could go wrong,” Kyungsoo said, and Sehun nodded. “That’s right. If you want, I’ll proceed with that. Otherwise, I could keep searching for another solution, but really, I don’t think anything can change the fact that you’re a Pureblood. It makes things difficult for spells and such because you’re not as durable as werewolves or vampires are,” Sehun said.

Kyungsoo went red at his indirect diss. “Sorry I’m not freakishly strong then,” he said. Jongin nuzzled his neck, trying to comfort him.

“I guess you could go for the immortality spell then, since there’s not much else we can do. When can you get the spell ready? Can you give me a rough estimate on how long you’ll need?” Kyungsoo asked. Sehun thought about it, drumming his fingers on his chin.

“A week from now, or maybe more. I’ll put in a favour and get someone to work on it while I’m here. He’s the best, so don’t worry about him messing the spell up or anything,” Sehun reassured him. Jongin looked up at him and asked, “Who is it?”

“You might know him actually. It’s Hongbin,” Sehun informed Jongin. Whoever it was, Jongin seemed to recognize his name, eyes lighting up in recognition. “You are friends with Hongbin?” Jongin asked.

“Yeah, we were neighbours,” Sehun laughed. Kyungsoo made a mental note to ask him who it was later. “That’s good to know then. I hear he is good with his art,” Jongin remarked. They chatted a bit more about him before Sehun finally waved them goodbye, rejoining Luhan and the others on the other side of the lake.

Glancing at Yixing, Kyungsoo realized he had already fallen asleep. Not only was Yixing sound asleep, he stayed true to his dare and slept on the grass dutifully, snoring softly. Kyungsoo smiled fondly, telling Jongin to throw something over Yixing in case he froze to death.

“I don’t want to be responsible for accidentally killing him,” Kyungsoo said, as Jongin stretched over to fling somebody’s skins over Yixing. His top lifted just a little when he leaned over, and Kyungsoo had to stop himself from caressing his smooth looking skin by his hip.

“Do you think it’s time for us to retire as well?” Jongin asked, unaware of Kyungsoo’s filthy thoughts.

“I guess. I’m not that tired though,” Kyungsoo replied, dragging his gaze away from Jongin’s enticing hip bone. There was not much else that they could do besides sleep for now, as far as Kyungsoo could tell. Nothing but staring listlessly up at the night sky, that is.

“Jongin, didn’t you once say that you wanted to watch the stars with me?” Kyungsoo asked, looking over his shoulder when he was done fussing over Yixing. He cocked his head to one side. “I didn’t think you’d remember, love.”

“Since the opportunity is here, why don’t we do just that?” Kyungsoo suggested, leaning on Jongin’s front and mouthing at his Adam’s apple for added convincing. Jongin practically purred as Kyungsoo nipped at his neck, holding him close.

“I’ll get the skins for us to lie on,” he murmured, pulling away reluctantly. Kyungsoo clung to him like cling wrap, making gurgly noises as Jongin half dragged himself across the grass to pull Kyungsoo’s skins towards them.

“Don’t you wanna get yours too?” Kyungsoo frowned. It’d be a tight fit if they were to share just one set of skins. “Don’t worry about it, my love,” Jongin said, motioning for Kyungsoo to get up and lay down on the skins. Kyungsoo flopped onto it, making space for Jongin beside him.

They adjusted themselves, tugging here and there to make themselves comfortable, till finally Kyungsoo was able to stare up at the sky, half expecting to see an aeroplane flying over them. The sky was dark, not a particularly starry night. Still, Kyungsoo could see a few stars if he concentrated hard enough.

“Are the constellations here the same as the ones in my—in the Pureblood world?” Kyungsoo asked, interrupting their momentary silence. “No, I don’t think so. I spent many a night watching the stars in your world when I was waiting for you. They are distinctly different from the ones here,” Jongin said.

Kyungsoo’s astigmatism didn’t really help as he tried not to blink, making out a dim twinkle in the sky every once in a while. “What’s that star called?” Kyungsoo asked, pointing at one randomly.

“The Winter Star. Its twinkle is pure white, if you look close enough. Obviously, it can only be seen during winter. It fades away when spring comes,” Jongin replied calmly.

“Oh. That one?” Kyungsoo asked, pointing at another. It was one of the brightest stars in the sky, and it looked like it was white, but Kyungsoo wasn’t too sure. “What colour is it?”

“White. That star is called _Deneb Aljedi_ ,” Jongin informed Kyungsoo. “It is part of the constellation, Capricornus.”

“Hey, we have that up in the Pureblood world,” Kyungsoo said. “Maybe it’s not visible or something,” he said, and Jongin nodded along. “I don’t suppose there are myths linked to the stars, what with your lack of religion?” Kyungsoo asked.

“Some say the stars align themselves to honour a great hero,” Jongin said nonchalantly. “In example, the Purebloods here believe Capricornus represents Pan, who lived a long time ago and had the legs and horns of a goat.”

“Oh dear. And what about that one?” Kyungsoo said, pointing at a faint star on his left. Its twinkle was so faint he could hardly tell what colour it was.

“That red one over there?” Jongin said, pointing to his far left. “Yeah, the one just above the trees.”

“Ah. Yes, that’s Antares,” Jongin said, and then stopped. “There’s no myth?” Kyungsoo asked. Jongin shook his head. “I’m sure there is a Pureblood myth, but I am unfamiliar with their beliefs,” he shrugged.

“Then why are we here, looking up at twinkly stars if it’s not to show off your storytelling skills?” Kyungsoo demanded. He thought it was going to be some sort of romantic movie moment where he would fall asleep in Jongin’s arms while he told him tall tales of the past.

“Er no, my love, I wanted to watch the stars with you because…” he trailed off, shrugging. “I watch the stars whenever I feel tense or anxious about something. It’s calming to look up at the sky and know that no matter how big my worries are, the world still remains the same, and dawn will always be inevitably over the horizon.”

“That was deep,” Kyungsoo remarked, looking at Jongin’s with new eyes. Jongin stifled a laugh, biting his lip as he stared at Kyungsoo too. “I thought that perhaps we could just lay here, under the stars, and try to forget the world. All of our problems, uncertainties, and doubts...” he said softly, lacing their fingers together.

“Everything will come together, love. I know it,” Jongin whispered.

“I want it to. I hope it does,” Kyungsoo replied honestly. He snuggled closer into Jongin’s side, breathing in his scent as he listened to the quiet chirp of cicadas in the night, the rustle of the forest whenever the wind blew against the trees.

It was a long time before Kyungsoo’s breathing fell into a slow rhythm, and the world faded out into darkness. Jongin’s warmth lulled him into nothingness, but he was unconsciously aware of Jongin’s presence throughout the night. It was the best sleep he had had in months.

 


	17. you've got a flair for the violentest love anywhere out there

The scent of freshly mown grass drifted towards Kyungsoo, bringing a smile to his lips as he breathed the clean, fresh air of Lycanfort. Birds tweeted cheerfully, singing songs in the early morning. He felt snugly warm on the bed with Jongin’s figure pressed against his back. Life couldn’t get any better than this.

But why was something tickling his nose? Surely his pillows didn’t explode into feathers during the night? He exhaled through his nose, blowing whatever it was away momentarily before it came back again, thin tendrils rubbing against his nostrils. Kyungsoo opened his eyes groggily, expecting to see white curtains billowing out above him in his own bedroom.

Instead, he saw treetops, blue skies and a dandelion up close, its head brushing Kyungsoo’s nostrils ever so gently. He sneezed without warning, entire body spasming spontaneously. Jongin jerked, stirring from his sleep as his arms tightened around Kyungsoo’s waist.

 _Ugh, fuck Luhan’s camping trip_ , Kyungsoo thought in disgust, looking around groggily. Everyone had piled into the tents, leaving Jongin and Kyungsoo outside. They were all apparently sleeping soundly even though Kyungsoo just sneezed rather loudly. Baekhyun’s lights had disappeared, replaced with a heavy mist. The magic the forest had the night before was clearly long gone.

Kyungsoo sniffled, rubbing at his nose before turning into Jongin’s direction, away from the annoying dandelion. He slid a leg between Jongin’s legs, seeking warmth as he tried to go back to sleep. It wasn’t time to wake up yet as far as he could tell, and he didn’t want to leave Jongin’s embrace.

He shifted closer, moving his leg upwards between Jongin’s thighs. There was something above Kyungsoo’s knee, something hard and warm. Kyungsoo peeked underneath the covers, feeling around for whatever it was, maybe a stone that had rolled in between them while they tossed about in their sleep or—

Kyungsoo felt up his knee and almost gasped when he realized the _thing_ was actually Jongin getting hard.

He looked up at Jongin’s tranquil face, giving no indication of an erotic dream or any other reason for his erection. Maybe it was one of those erections at night; Kyungsoo was fairly sure he’d been through this before during his teenage years. It was awkward to see it happen to someone else though; sharing a room with his brother in the past had never given him this experience either.

Kyungsoo took his hand away, praying Jongin wouldn’t suddenly wake up and catch him feeling his cock up like some pervert. He adjusted the skins over his shoulder without jolting Jongin, and tried to fall back into unconsciousness. He went back to fitful sleep for about an hour or so, chasing papers in his dreams.

 

 It wasn’t long before he could feel sunshine on his face and he heard the sound of water being sloshed around. Someone must already be awake but Kyungsoo lay still on the skins, not quite ready to open his eyes yet. He was still feeling warm and cosy from the skins over him, Jongin’s arms around his waist…

 _Wait, where is he?_ He frowned, stretching his hands to search for Jongin’s warm body. Jongin’s warm caramel body was nowhere to be found, as well as his erection on Kyungsoo’s knee. Kyungsoo felt embarrassed for Jongin, but he endeavoured to never, ever mention it to him, because it was just one of those awkward things about being human.

 _He’s not quite human though_ , Kyungsoo thought to himself. But his body certainly functioned like one, if not with a few differences. Still, he wasn’t going to ever bring it up to Jongin.

Kyungsoo opened his eyes, sitting up among the pile of skins around him. To his surprise, when he looked around everyone was still asleep, all eight other members of the company. He counted carefully twice to make sure no one had drowned last night and then looked at the lake, spotting Jongin’s lithe body in the water. Jongin was doing laps around the lake, moving gracefully with his arms slicing into the water like a knife cutting into soft butter and pushing forward with his legs.

 _What a lovely view_ , Kyungsoo sighed. Jongin was the definition of prefect in Kyungsoo’s dictionary, there was really no other way around it. His physique was just short of godly, his manner so gentle… He felt like a little pile of goo by the time Jongin reached his side of the lake, spraying little droplets of water as he shook his hair out. It didn’t matter what time of day it was, evidently Jongin’s physical appearance would always enamour Kyungsoo.

“Hi,” Kyungsoo said in a breathy way, biting his lip as Jongin smiled up at him. “Hello, yourself, love,” Jongin replied.

“Why are you swimming at the ass crack of dawn?” Kyungsoo asked as Jongin stayed by the edge of the lake, still trying to get water out of his hair. “Just a little exercise before I start the day. Would you like to join me, my love?” he asked.

Kyungsoo crawled out of the skins, sitting right at the edge of the water. “I don’t feel like a cold shower so early in the day,” he said. “But I wouldn’t mind watching you,” he added, bringing his knees up and placing his head on his knees. The air wasn’t cold yet, and he wouldn’t mind ogling Jongin’s body without the skins.

Talking about cold showers made Kyungsoo think about Jongin’s erection, and he wondered if Jongin wasn’t dreaming about sex or something like that. This topic didn’t seem to be going away as fast as he thought it would from his mind.

Jongin inched closer to Kyungsoo, hands reaching out to brush away Kyungsoo’s fringe. “You look beautiful today, love,” he said softly, and Kyungsoo wanted to leap into the water and kiss the life out of Jongin, but he refrained from doing so, just looked away in embarrassment.

“You’re looking great today too,” Kyungsoo muttered back. Jongin laughed, reaching for his hands. “Come and join me, love,” he whispered, wet hands caressing Kyungsoo’s knuckles. “Before the others start to awaken and interrupt our time together.”

“Water’s cold,” Kyungsoo replied reluctantly, rubbing a thumb over Jongin’s cheek. Cold water in winter was just not for him. Jongin pulled himself up in front of Kyungsoo abruptly, water gliding off of him as he pushed Kyungsoo over, kissing him hard on the mouth before he knew what was happening.

“Being coy is not one of your strengths, love,” he said, sucking Kyungsoo’s bottom lip gently. Water soaked into Kyungsoo’s clothes relatively quickly, and he pushed at Jongin’s shoulder weakly although his hands were digging into Jongin’s wet hair.

Jongin sucked on Kyungsoo’s upper lip, putting an arm around Kyungsoo to pull him up a bit. “We can’t, Jongin, Baekhyun or someone might wake up soon,” Kyungsoo moaned, trying desperately to push him away. Jongin ignored his protests, prying Kyungsoo’s mouth open and sliding his tongue in. Kyungsoo made a noise, breaking the kiss.

“What’s wrong, love?” Jongin asked, sitting heavily on Kyungsoo to prevent him from escaping. “What’s wrong is that you’re naked, I haven’t brushed my teeth yet, and it’s too public to be doing this,” Kyungsoo hissed, feeling Jongin’s crotch on his own. Jongin smirked, lowering his head to kiss Kyungsoo tentatively again, gauging his reaction before kissing him deeply once more.

“There is a way to remedy all of those problems, love. Would you like to hear what it is?” Jongin whispered, mouthing at his earlobe. Kyungsoo hated the way he could make him melt with just his touch, his voice and his words. Even if he wanted to say no with every fibre of his being, he found himself humming in response, distracted by Jongin’s lips on his neck.

“If you look around I think you will find there is sufficient shade for everything I’m about to do to you, my love,” Jongin said softly in his ear. Then Kyungsoo realized what this was all about and blushed furiously as he swatted at Jongin’s chest angrily.

“Oh my God, I can _not_ believe I fell for that,” Kyungsoo said, attempting to crawl away as Jongin tried to pull him back. Jongin caught Kyungsoo’s arms and pinned him down despite his thrashing about, irritatingly calm as he looked down at Kyungsoo.

“It is the only thing I ask of you, love,” he said, holding Kyungsoo down without a problem. Kyungsoo couldn’t decide if he should be turned on because Jongin wanted him so bad or if he should be affronted that Jongin wanted him enough to hold him down like prey. “But why? It’s so dirty and filthy and _ew_ in the forest,” Kyungsoo whined, trying to keep his voice low.

Jongin was about to answer, but stilled when there was movement from one of the tents. “I did promise you that I’d convince you out of your reluctance, love, and I keep to my word regardless of the circumstances,” he whispered, smiling sweetly down at Kyungsoo.

Kyungsoo snorted at him, pretending his heart didn’t just skip a beat when Jongin smiled even when he knew damn well Jongin could hear his heartbeat perfectly well. “There’s nothing you can do to make me get down and dirty with you, literally, in the woods,” he said defiantly. The glint in Jongin’s eye told him that he would eat on his own words soon enough. Jongin released his hold on Kyungsoo’s wrists gently, leaning down to kiss him as he dry humped Kyungsoo’s waist, making him keen around Jongin’s mouth.

“No, no, don’t do this—” Kyungsoo pleaded weakly, cock going hard in an instant. Jongin kissed Kyungsoo over his open mouth, swallowing the rest of Kyungsoo’s protest. His hands went to Kyungsoo’s clothes, pulling his sweater up to run a wet hand down his torso, making Kyungsoo shudder uncontrollably at his touch.

“Nothing at all, love?” Jongin asked, licking a stripe down Kyungsoo’s cheek. Kyungsoo shook his head, fingernails digging into Jongin’s shoulder as he sucked at a spot on Kyungsoo’s neck. “What if they wake up?” Kyungsoo asked, eyes closing shut in pleasure.

“You’re the one who insists on lewd acts in public, since you refused to come with me into the trees,” Jongin answered, hands running down the length of Kyungsoo’s arms and lacing their fingers together.

“If I come with you, will you make it quick?” he replied. Jongin’s eyes darkened with promise at his response. Kyungsoo gulped, letting Jongin pull him up to his feet. He felt like he was doing something morally wrong as Jongin held his hand and they went off into the woods, deep enough so that no one could see them (but whether the others would hear them, Kyungsoo would find out soon enough).

“I really don’t know why we’re doing this,” Kyungsoo grumbled, pulling at Jongin’s hand and slamming into him, kissing Jongin with all his strength. Using Kyungsoo’s momentum, Jongin lifted Kyungsoo up into the air and Kyungsoo wrapped his legs around Jongin’s waist, keeping their lips locked together.

“Has banging me in the forest been on your mind for a while?” Kyungsoo asked, resisting the urge to smile while putting his arms around Jongin’s neck. Jongin chuckled in his throat, rubbing their noses together.

“It may have been a fantasy, yes,” Jongin replied shamelessly, kissing Kyungsoo chastely. Kyungsoo blushed even though Jongin was supposed to be the one embarrassed. “How am I supposed to feel about that?” Kyungsoo asked, nibbling on Jongin’s jaw. Jongin reached his hands on Kyungsoo’s ass, pressing his hands flush on him.

“If you want, we could live out one of your own fantasies,” Jongin bit his lip, lifting an eyebrow in suggestion. Kyungsoo laughed at that. “I only had one fantasy, and that was to actually have sex with someone. We’ve already done that, so…” Kyungsoo loosened his hold on Jongin’s waist, dropping to the ground. Jongin kept his hands firmly on Kyungsoo’s ass, giving him no chance to squirm away from Jongin as he tried to take off his sweater in the tight space Jongin had trapped him in.

“I promise I won’t run away or anything,” Kyungsoo said indignantly, pushing at Jongin’s shoulder when he couldn’t get his arms out of his sweater. He released him just a little, giving him enough space to take off his sweater. When it was off, Jongin undid Kyungsoo’s pants for him, pulling his half wet pants down to his knees.

He started kissing Kyungsoo again, and Kyungsoo protested as he stumbled backwards into a tree. “At least let me get my clothes off first,” Kyungsoo muttered, trying to kick his pants off. “I cannot wait any longer, my love,” Jongin whispered fervently, bringing a hand down to Kyungsoo’s cock and pumping it a few times.

Kyungsoo gasped, arching his back against the tree and into Jongin’s touch, biting down on a loud moan. Jongin fingered Kyungsoo’s aroused cock gently, bringing Kyungsoo close to the edge of pain when he dragged a finger over the tip.

“Ah, don’t—please,” Kyungsoo stuttered, losing his train of thought when Jongin went down on his knees and tongued at Kyungsoo’s cock teasingly. Kyungsoo dug his fingers into the tree trunk behind him as Jongin took his cock into his hot mouth, licking around Kyungsoo’s length.

The wet noises Jongin made while sucking Kyungsoo off sounded filthy to Kyungsoo in the quiet silence of the forest, but it took his breath away whenever Jongin did this to him, felt so right even if they were in the middle of nowhere, doing nasty things to each other. Jongin hummed around Kyungsoo’s cock, making him jolt against the tree and leaning back heavily on it.

“Make me come please, Jongin,” Kyungsoo begged, running his fingers through Jongin’s silky hair. Jongin’s eyes curled up into a smile, and he guessed Jongin probably wasn’t done trying to make him feel as sexually frustrated as possible just yet. Jongin placed his hands on Kyungsoo’s hips first, presumably to still him for what was going to come next.

Jongin took Kyungsoo’s cock into his mouth slowly, deeper than before, letting it slide down his throat inch by inch. He fought against his gag reflex, swallowing instinctively around Kyungsoo’s cock, earning a choked cry from him. Kyungsoo tried not to move because he knew Jongin would have a hard time breathing, but it felt amazing to the point where his legs were starting to fail him, and he didn’t want to collapse over Jongin.

Jongin swallowed once more around Kyungsoo’s cock, turning his legs to jelly and he placed a hand on Jongin’s head to steady himself, closing his eyes as Jongin drew away from Kyungsoo’s cock and mouthed at the tip gently, sucking it hard towards the end.

“ _Ah_ ,” Kyungsoo cried out, feeling pleasure curl in his lower abdomen like a tightly wound spring before Jongin lapped at his cock, coaxing him to orgasm. He came all over Jongin’s mouth, come dribbling down his chin and falling to the grass and dirt at their feet.  

Kyungsoo trembled as he tried to breathe through his orgasm, panting heavily against the tree behind him. “You… You didn’t come yet,” Kyungsoo heaved as Jongin stood up, licking his lips like he was still hungry for Kyungsoo.

“That’s because I’m not done with you, my love,” Jongin murmured. He brought his arms around Kyungsoo’s shivering figure, cupping his face with both hands and kissing him gently. Kyungsoo could taste his come on Jongin’s lips and deliberately licked his tongue over Jongin’s bottom lip, standing on his tip toes to reach him.

Jongin groaned into Kyungsoo’s mouth, reaching a hand down to fondle Kyungsoo’s entrance. Kyungsoo shuddered in Jongin’s arms, still high from his orgasm as he felt Jongin’s finger probing him boldly. “Put your legs around me, love,” Jongin whispered. Wanting to please him, Kyungsoo lifted one of his legs up, and Jongin helped by holding up his thigh, hoisting him up onto his waist.

Using Jongin’s firm hold as leverage, Kyungsoo brought his other leg around Jongin’s waist as well and locked his ankles around Jongin’s back, putting his arms around Jongin’s shoulders. “Now I am going to prep you, love, and you are going to fuck me,” Jongin told him huskily, bringing a hand to his mouth and sucking on three of his fingers.

“While you’re standing?” Kyungsoo breathed, trying to move upwards so that Jongin could reach around him.

“Mm,” Jongin responded monotonously. Kyungsoo couldn’t believe the audacity in Jongin to try this in the forest with all of their friends and family less than a hundred feet away, furthermore without lube. It was going to hurt later, but Kyungsoo supposed it was worth it. He couldn’t deny the way it felt hot when Jongin pressed two fingers up his ass, sliding in with a burning sensation.

Kyungsoo tried not to clench down on his fingers too hard; it hurt too badly at the entrance, but once Jongin’s fingers were in, he let out a sigh of relief and pleasure when Jongin began to slide his fingers in and out slowly, giving Kyungsoo time to adjust to the feeling.

“It hurts,” Kyungsoo whispered, biting on his lip. But it felt nice as well, especially when Jongin scissored his fingers open, stretching Kyungsoo widely. Kyungsoo gave a strangled cry, hands scrambling down Jongin’s back as he lifted himself upwards and dropped his weight down on Jongin’s fingers.

“Hush, love… You wouldn’t want your companion to hear you, would you?” Jongin said tantalizingly. Kyungsoo blushed furiously, trying to keep his moans to himself as Jongin fucked his ass open with his fingers, feeling his cock getting hard again between their bodies.

“Jongin, ah— j-just put it in please, I want you so badly,” Kyungsoo pleaded when Jongin pulled his fingers out, leaving Kyungsoo to feel bereft and wanting.

“Just a moment more, love,” Jongin promised, spitting onto his hand and rubbing it over his own hard cock. Then he braced Kyungsoo against the tree behind him, bark poking into Kyungsoo’s back as Jongin placed his hands over, taking a difficult, deep breath.

“Do it, Jongin,” Kyungsoo whispered, shutting his eyes as he reached down to his entrance and holding it open with two fingers. He imagined that it would hurt, and it did, when Jongin finally pushed his cock into Kyungsoo’s ass, stretching him open and eliciting a cry from Kyungsoo. He couldn’t even care that everyone might hear them, the pain and pleasure was almost too much for him. It felt like the first time with Jongin, with all modesty and pleasurable pain but without the shyness Kyungsoo once had with Jongin.

Kyungsoo bit down on the back of his hand as Jongin started to ride him slowly, filling him up and sliding out with a wet sound. It still hurt, but not enough to take the pleasure away. Kyungsoo tried to move down on Jongin’s cock as well, bouncing on Jongin’s cock without rhythm and curling his toes when he lost grip on the tree for a moment, sliding Jongin’s cock deep into him with a hiss.

Jongin’s fingers dug into Kyungsoo’s thighs as he thrusted into Kyungsoo roughly, mouth dropping open slightly to sigh soundlessly. Kyungsoo held onto him tightly, pressing his face into Jongin’s shoulder as Jongin pushed his cock all the way in, bringing him close to the edge.

Kyungsoo was seconds away from what felt like the most painful climax ever when Jongin intentionally slowed down, and Kyungsoo wailed incoherently, desperately fucking himself onto Jongin’s cock. “Jongin, Jongin, please, please, I’m begging you—” he said, throwing his head back. He revelled in the burn from where their bodies joined, an exquisite kind of pain that only Jongin could give. It wasn’t long before pleasure swept through Kyungsoo’s veins, his thoughts scattering till there was only Jongin left.

Kyungsoo’s ass milked Jongin’s cock multiple times, squeezing and clenching down on Jongin so hard he came in ecstasy as well, spurting into Kyungsoo with a guttural moan. Kyungsoo humped on Jongin’s cock a few more times for good measure, dragging out their orgasms. “Oh love, don’t stop,” Jongin grunted, bringing his hands around Kyungsoo’s ass and pressing him onto his pulsing cock, kissing him hard at the same time.

They didn’t say anything for awhile, trying to catch their breath and panting loudly. Kyungsoo moved first, pecking Jongin on the lips chastely before he tried to get down to his feet. Jongin pulled his cock out of Kyungsoo easily, keeping a hold on him as he stumbled to gain footing. Kyungsoo grimaced as he felt Jongin’s come trickling down slowly between his legs, quickly going cold against his skin. His entire body was starting to feel sore, and he hadn’t even gotten his clothes on yet.

“I need to get clean,” Kyungsoo said, brushing away little bits of dry bark on his hands. “Wait, love,” Jongin protested when he tried to walk away.

Kyungsoo looked up at him. “Yeah?”

“Thank you, love, for humouring me,” Jongin said shyly, kissing Kyungsoo’s forehead. “Don’t mention it,” Kyungsoo replied, patting him on the arm awkwardly. “And now we’ll get to swim together in the lake too. Sadly I’ll have to be naked to clean myself up, but I guess you can’t have everything,” Kyungsoo shrugged, picking his dirty sweater from the ground.

“Are the others awake yet?” Kyungsoo asked, deciding to forego the sweater and just put on his pants. Jongin nodded. “What? They are?” Kyungsoo widened his eyes.

“Not because of us,” Jongin said quickly. “Luhan woke up on his own account because he wanted to swim in the lake, I think. I can hear him moving around in the water,” Jongin informed him. Kyungsoo tugged on his pants, doing the zipper up and putting his sweater over his shoulder.

“Do you want to Phase so that you don’t look like you just raped me?” Kyungsoo suggested, pointing a vague finger in his direction while trying not to look at Jongin’s cock. “Good idea,” Jongin nodded, dropping down on all fours and Phasing rather quickly. He Phased so fast Kyungsoo barely caught any of it, but when the white wolf before him turned its large head, nosing at Kyungsoo’s hand, he knew it was Jongin inside, no matter his physical appearance.

 “I think you’re cuter like this,” Kyungsoo commented, caressing the fur between his brownish green eyes. Jongin rumbled, snorting at Kyungsoo.

They walked out together, side by side. Kyungsoo kept a hand over Jongin’s neck, mesmerized by the soft texture of his fur. He realized that Jongin had never really Phased for any other reason besides an emergency. Even though he looked like a giant husky, Kyungsoo found that his werewolf form was still beautiful.

“HOW WAS THE WOODS, GUYS?!” A loud voice shook Kyungsoo out of his reverie, and he looked up to see Luhan waving at them from the lake. Kyungsoo squinted his eyes at Luhan, hoping it would make him shut up, but _no_ , Luhan just went on. “I thought you guys went for firewood, but then I saw Kai’s clothes on the ground. Good job, brother,” Luhan winked at Jongin. Jongin bared his teeth in response, jaws snapping at Luhan’s direction.

“Touché,” was all Luhan said, swimming backwards leisurely. Kyungsoo rolled his eyes, draping his sweater over Jongin’s back and going to the edge of the lake. Jongin whined in his throat when Kyungsoo dipped a foot in, and he turned around to look at Jongin questioningly.

“You wanna get in with me?” Kyungsoo asked. Jongin bowed his head, bringing his ears forward. “Fine,” Kyungsoo huffed, taking his sweater away from Jongin’s back and flinging it as far away from the edge of the lake as possible.

Jongin trotted into the lake right away, kicking his legs about and swimming in first. At first, Kyungsoo was offended that Jongin didn’t wait for him, but smiled once he saw Jongin coughing up water at Luhan. Kyungsoo decided to take this moment of distraction and shucked his pants, quickly getting into the water before the wind blew across the lake.

Luhan tried to swim away from Jongin, holding his hands out in surrender while shouting something in their language. Jongin used his front feet to push roughly at Luhan’s slim figure, and Luhan squawked indignantly. “What kind of big brother bullies his younger brother like this?!” he yelled.

“My brother used to bully me too,” Kyungsoo called out at him. Consequently, Jongin pushed Luhan underwater for a few seconds, and Kyungsoo sighed happily in the silence.

Five seconds later, another White Wolf emerged from the water and they tussled against each other, making weird, indignant barks in their throats. Kyungsoo would’ve ignored their fight had they not moved around the lake so quickly and splashed water all over Kyungsoo. He must’ve swallowed half of the lake water by the time he tried to climb out, deciding that dignity was nothing next to trying to clean himself up in the same lake Jongin and Luhan were fighting in.

Minseok’s head popped out of one of the tents abruptly, looking around blearily. He saw Luhan and Jongin’s scuffle in the lake, but hardly reacted, staring blankly at the both of them. When he spotted Kyungsoo by the side of the lake, Kyungsoo waved at him uncomfortably.

“Morning,” Minseok called, putting a hand up in acknowledgement. Deciding that Luhan and Jongin fighting wasn’t worth his time, he crawled back into the tent, and Kyungsoo breathed a sigh of relief. He was about to get up when Minseok woke up so suddenly. Thank God he didn’t notice that Kyungsoo was butt naked.

After Luhan and Jongin finally had enough of each other, Kyungsoo had already managed to put on a fresh set of clothes and brought a dry towel from his bag to drape over Jongin’s body. “Thank you for putting Luhan in his place,” Kyungsoo said cheerfully to Jongin, drying his hair by scrubbing the towel all over his head.

“His jests aren’t even funny,” Jongin muttered, side eyeing Luhan as he dried himself off. “I heard that,” Luhan answered. Kyungsoo laughed, giving Jongin a kiss to wipe the frown off his face. “You’re right, he isn’t funny at all,” Kyungsoo said, ganging up on Luhan. Without Sehun or Baekhyun to back him up, Luhan sulked silently.

“How did your parents ever handle you both?” Kyungsoo laughed, handing Jongin his clothes. Luhan stilled when Kyungsoo said that.

“They didn’t,” Luhan replied, putting his clothes on somewhat stiffly. Jongin caught the tone in Luhan’s voice, and stared at him as he walked away from them, heading to the logs around the fire to sit down.

“Um, did I say something wrong?” Kyungsoo frowned. Jongin shook his head, taking his clothes from Kyungsoo and putting them on quickly without getting up. Kyungsoo waited for Jongin to be fully dressed before he whispered to him.

“What did I say?”

Jongin put an arm around him, pressing his lips to Kyungsoo’s temple. Kyungsoo’s hurt and puzzlement was written across his face.   

“Luhan never liked our parents,” he shrugged. Kyungsoo leaned into Jongin’s side, feeling guilty even though he didn’t understand why. “Oh. Should I—Do you think I should apologize?”

“Don’t, love,” Jongin placed a hand on him. “Luhan doesn’t want pity or remorse from anyone when it comes to our parents,” he said.

“Why? Were your parents abusive towards him?” Kyungsoo asked. It occurred to him that he didn’t know much about Jongin’s parents, other than the fact that they had died a long time ago, which was the reason why Jongin was the current King.

“Well, you know Luhan’s personality. But he doesn’t mean any harm, and he always knows his limits. But it made my parents anxious that he was so playful and heedless of responsibility, so maybe it chafed against their relationship.

There was a time where he said something rather… rude to our father when he was angry. They were always chastising him for his outlandish ways, so I didn’t think much about it. It wasn’t the first time he said something unkind to our parents anyway.

When my parents were on their deathbeds though, after returning from Europe with a strange disease, Luhan completely shut himself off when my father called me to his bedside, not us.” Kyungsoo could hardly get his head around this kind of family drama. Why his parents were so hard on Luhan, Kyungsoo couldn’t get it.

“Why didn’t your dad call him too? Isn’t that a bit mean to your own kid?” Kyungsoo asked. Jongin sighed. “He called me first because he wanted a private word with me. My father told me to take care of my brother, and to keep a close eye on him. Naturally I agreed, because my father was only concerned that Luhan would stray too far from the family duties. I had recognised my own duties long before, and Father knew there wouldn’t be any problems with me once he was gone.

“Then my mother passed first, and my father knew his time was coming soon. Only then did he seek Luhan’s presence, but Luhan refused to enter their chambers. He had thought that Father only cared for me, not for him as well, and only saw him after my father took his last breath.”

Kyungsoo put a hand over his mouth. “You mean… your dad died without ever speaking to Luhan?” Jongin nodded gravely. “The last words my father ever said to Luhan was, ‘Take him out of my sight,’ before he left for Europe. That hurt has stayed with Luhan, and although he claims he never loved our parents, he did. Why else would he hold onto this childish vendetta against them? They’ve been dead a long time, but he still won’t let it go, because—”

“’Cause he still wants your dad to apologize for it, he wants your dad to console him and hear that he still loves him, even after all he did and said,” Kyungsoo realized. So Luhan had daddy issues. _Figures as much_ , Kyungsoo thought.

“I’m sure my father wanted to apologize to him, but he wouldn’t come to my father’s side. It’d be cruel to say my father deserved it, but Luhan has always been the less forgiving brother between us.”

“And he’s not pissed at you?” Kyungsoo asked softly, lacing their fingers together. Jongin shook his head. “He thinks my father is to blame, not I.”

“It’s because you’re nice to him. So nice that you let him live with you, even after he’s already found his mate,” Kyungsoo said lightly, smiling up at Jongin. “It is the least I can do for him after my parents died. He never got to hear their last words as well as say his own to them. It would kill me if that ever happened to me,” Jongin said softly, brushing Kyungsoo’s hair away from his face.

“Maybe I’ll talk to him?” Kyungsoo said questioningly.

Jongin shook his head, ruffling Kyungsoo’s hair. “He wouldn’t like it if he knew I told you this. He thinks no one knows how he feels, but I do.”

“Okay then, if you say so. It’s nice of you to not bug him about it,” Kyungsoo said, placing a hand on Jongin’s cheek. How much more perfect could Jongin get? Luhan was a pain in the ass, yet here he was, accommodating Luhan on his little camping trip.

“I love you,” Kyungsoo whispered, almost inaudible as the wind blew over them. Jongin looked at him in mild surprise, hair blowing into his eyes. “I’m sorry that it’s so sudden but I do, Jongin, I…” Kyungsoo’s chest felt like it was about to explode, filled with affection and adoration for Jongin. “I really do love you.”

Jongin kissed him gently, even if those five words didn’t measure up to the crushing feeling in Kyungsoo’s chest, didn’t even begin to describe the way he felt for Jongin in that moment. “I love you too, _min kjærlighet,_ ” running his thumb across Kyungsoo’s lower lip.

“You’re so… _nice_ to people, and I’m not like that at all,” Kyungsoo mumbled, looking down at his lap. Jongin chuckled, chucking Kyungsoo under the chin. “Don’t worry about that, love, nobody is perfect.”

“ _You_ are nobody. You know what that means? _You_ are perfect,” Kyungsoo said, poking Jongin’s chest. Jongin laughed at that.

“I am far from perfect, love, I assure you.”

“No, Jongin, take my word for it. You are perfect in every way. Perfect to me,” Kyungsoo said, placing his head in the crook of Jongin’s neck.

*

When everyone except the vampires came around to waking up, it was almost noon. That meant work for Suho, Jongin and Minseok, so they went off hunting as usual, disappearing into the trees. Kyungsoo woke Chanyeol up in search of company since he felt bad about Luhan’s bet on the previous night.

He crawled clumsily into the tent and sat beside a sleeping Baekhyun, reaching over him to shake Chanyeol’s shoulder till he stirred from his sleep, sitting up quickly for no particular reason. His hair was a mess, flattened at the back and tufts of it pointing in all directions. Chanyeol stretched his arms languidly, hissing mid yawn when his joints cracked loudly.

“Whoa,” Kyungsoo said, widening his eyes at Chanyeol as he rubbed his elbow. “How long were you up last night?”

“Dunno,” Chanyeol scratched the back of his head. I think we were in the water for three hours, minimum.” Kyungsoo shook his head at him. “Just because Baekhyun can play in water for long hours without consequence mean you can too,” he said, laughing.

Chanyeol chuckled a little, before realizing that most of the people in the tent was still asleep. “C’mon, let’s sit outside. Baekhyun and Sehun are still sleeping,” he whispered. Chanyeol brought his skins out to share with Kyungsoo, and made their way out into the cool air, looking for a grassy spot to sit upon.

“I hate it when my joints start hurting. Makes me feel old,” Chanyeol remarked, testing out his ankles and knees once they sat down. “But I guess you don’t really have to worry about that soon, though. Right?” Kyungsoo said, enjoying the sun. It felt like years since he last saw the sun this bright; winter was melting away, he could feel it.

“What d’you mean?” Chanyeol asked curiously, looking around for his snapback.

“Well, you’re gonna Turn soon, aren’t you?” Kyungsoo replied. Chanyeol threw the skins off, spotting his snapback among the folds. “I guess so, if you think a year is soon.”

“What?” Kyungsoo said incredulously. He always had the idea that they’d be Turned together at more or less the same time. It just seemed right to do it with a best friend after all. Chanyeol combed his hair with his fingers, fitting his snapback on.

“Baekhyun wants me to be a year older so that he can say that I’m the older one,” Chanyeol quipped. Kyungsoo sighed in exasperation.

He should’ve known; Baekhyun was forever obsessed with age, even now when his age was the last thing that should matter to him. Because Baekhyun was born a few months earlier than Chanyeol, he always felt like the older one despite being born in the same year. Trying to change that fact was a ridiculous notion, and made no sense to Kyungsoo.

“If you want to talk about age, Jongin’s older than me by twenty years,” Kyungsoo pointed out. “Yeah, but time passes by so fast here. We’re going to keep tabs on the days from now, and Baekhyun will Turn me once my twentieth birthday passes.”

“You do realize this sounds crazy? What does it matter if you’re ‘older’?” Kyungsoo said.

Chanyeol shrugged. “My boyfriend tells me to do things. I do them,” Chanyeol said nonchalantly. Kyungsoo laughed half heartedly, unsure if he was supposed to feel sorry or angry on Chanyeol’s behalf.

“Speaking about years,” Chanyeol said. “Last night, they were saying that there’s this festival coming up. Did Kai mention it to you yet?”

“Er, which festival?” Kyungsoo asked, taking a drink from his oilskin. Chanyeol did the same, snatching Kyungsoo’s oilskin from him when he was done and took a big swig from it.

“It’s gonna be New Year’s soon here. They’re having this cool festival where they light lanterns and they let it float to the sky, or you can float little flower lanterns across the closest river to y’know. Release your problems,” Chanyeol gestured eloquently, wiping a droplet of water away from his mouth.

“Sounds like a festival in South East Asia,” Kyungsoo said, remembering from when he watched a documentary on TV about Thai traditions or something like that. It was very vague, but he recalled it being done in the South East Asia region.

“Yeah, its symbolic meaning is similar I guess, but wouldn’t it be cool anyway, to do that here? This is gonna be the first New Year’s we’re all spending together without—without our—”

“Together. Period. We’re spending it together with each other,” Kyungsoo said, cutting Chanyeol off. He sighed and nodded, smiling a little.

“Kinda feels weird though, doesn’t it?”

“What? Being here, spending New Year’s with one another?”

“Being here, alone, without our families,” Chanyeol said, dropping the volume of his voice. Kyungsoo smiled at him, patting his shoulder. “We’re never really alone, Chanyeol, not really. We have each other, don’t we? And we’re a family now. You’re my best friend, my brother from another mother, and so is Baekhyun,” Kyungsoo declared.

“C’mere,” Chanyeol said, stifling a laugh and slinging an arm around Kyungsoo’s neck. He rubbed his knuckles against the top of Kyungsoo’s head, making Kyungsoo laugh before he swatted at him and pushed his hand away.

“I can’t believe you’re really taking a year just to Turn,” Kyungsoo said when Chanyeol finally released him. He massaged the back of his neck, squinting as he looked up at Chanyeol.

Chanyeol shrugged again, fiddling with his fingers. “If Baekhyun wants it then I’ll do it, y’know? Doesn’t matter to me whether I Turn this year or five years, just as long as…” Chanyeol searched for the right words.

“As long as we have each other for the rest of our lives. I was about to say, ‘till we get grey hair and a million grandkids’, but I guess that’s out of the equation.”

“Adopt a baby vampire then. I’m sure it’ll be fun,” Kyungsoo said.

“It’ll have two dads,” Chanyeol mused, thinking about it. Kyungsoo nodded. “If I were to adopt a baby werewolf, the kid would have two dads too.”

“Boy or girl?” Chanyeol shot at him.

Kyungsoo thought about it, trying to picture himself and Jongin running around in a field. Would it a little girl they’re chasing, or a little boy? Jongin seemed like he’d love both equally, not considering gender.

“The possibilities are endless,” Kyungsoo said, feeling a little dreamy when he thought about Jongin being a dad.

“Not really, there’s just boy or girl,” Chanyeol said, lifting an eyebrow at him. Kyungsoo shook his head. Chanyeol wasn’t getting it. “Yeah, but I don’t know yet if I want a baby girl or baby boy. But I know that I would want Jongin for myself, at least for a few years before we think about all that.”

Chanyeol nodded understandingly. “Well, I would want a girl. Just so that I’d get to watch a girl grow up. I never had that chance with my sister. She was just huge when I first saw her.” Kyungsoo snorted at him. “That sounds paedophilic.”

“That’s not the only reason,” Chanyeol laughed, chest shaking from laughter. “I’d want to guide her and everything too, and tell her which kinds of boys aren’t right for her.”

“Oh really? Well, you liked Baekhyun once upon a time and look at where you are now. What if she likes some dude from the Pureblood world?” Kyungsoo asked.

“Then we’ll have an excuse to go up there and see what has changed,” Chanyeol said. Kyungsoo laughed in disbelief. He couldn’t believe Chanyeol’s unending optimism. “It’ll be fun then, when that happens.” Chanyeol was inclined to agree.

Promptly, Luhan came along when he heard them laughing, and sauntered over to them, plopping down in front of Kyungsoo with a serious expression. “Kyungsoo, can I have a word with you?” he said quietly.

 _Well, that was sudden_ , Kyungsoo thought, eyeing him suspiciously. Luhan looked like he was ready to commit murder with his eyes alone. “Um, is it urgent?” Kyungsoo blurted, unconsciously moving away from Luhan. He exuded a dangerous sort of air, and all he had done was look Kyungsoo dead in the eye. “Yes. Very. Come with me,” he said flatly, holding out a pale hand to Kyungsoo.

Kyungsoo looked over at Chanyeol for help, but he was suddenly absorbed in one of Yixing’s books. So much for family, Kyungsoo thought to himself, turning back to Luhan with a bright smile and placing his shaking hand into Luhan’s own delicate pair.

They got up, hand in hand, and Luhan took Kyungsoo for a leisurely stroll around the circumference of the lake. It relieved Kyungsoo to still be in sight of the others, just in case Luhan suddenly wanted to take a bite out of him. Jongin wasn’t around to rescue Kyungsoo, otherwise maybe Luhan wouldn’t be compelled to take Kyungsoo on one of the most, nerve wracking silent walks in the world.

“Lovely weather today,” Kyungsoo remarked, observing the trees around them, the grass at their feet, the birds flying overhead, _anything_ but Luhan’s stoic face. Luhan didn’t deign Kyungsoo with a reply, and Kyungsoo left his remark hanging awkwardly between them.

“What did my brother tell you?” Luhan said smoothly, suddenly, when they were as far away from the base camp without straying too far from the side of the lake.

It took Kyungsoo completely by surprise. He didn’t know what to say, wasn’t expecting it to be the first thing out of Luhan’s mouth. He gapped, then Kyungsoo choked on his own spit in the back of his throat, and he started coughing violently in the other direction (lest he sprayed saliva all over his brother-in-law). His face turned red with each cough, and the only thought going through his mind was _when will I stop fucking coughing?_

“Um, Kyungsoo, that’s a very strong reaction to a bland question. Are you faking it, did you really get something caught in your throat or are you just shocked?” Luhan said, patting his back in an attempt to soothe his unexpected yet violent cough.

Kyungsoo held up three fingers, and Luhan nodded in comprehension, waiting for him to get over his coughing fit. “He… He didn’t say… Your—your brother, he didn’t—” Kyungsoo’s voice came out in a high pitched squeak, further humiliating him in front of Luhan. And why wasn’t his cough going away? Did he catch some form of bird flu in the forest a while ago?

“Yes? He didn’t what?” Luhan said, looking at his red and blotchy face. He didn’t look like he wanted to murder Kyungsoo anymore, just mainly concerned for him, which just made everything worse.

“Nothing important—” Kyungsoo managed to spit out those two words before finally he managed to dislodge the lump in his throat, coughing one last time for good luck.

“Oh really? Then why did I hear ‘parents’ and ‘Luhan’ in the same sentence?” Luhan said, folding his arms. Kyungsoo patted his chest, testing out his throat. “He might’ve mentioned something about your and his past. No big deal,” Kyungsoo said, shrugging. He wasn’t the best liar in the world, but he had done his fair share of lying too. Maybe Luhan wouldn’t be able to see through him.

“Fuck you, you’re lying. Tell me what he said to you!” Luhan said, trying to stifle a smile as he grabbed Kyungsoo by the collar and brought his face up close to Kyungsoo. _Or maybe he’s secretly working for the FBI, who knows?_ Kyungsoo thought.  

“Okay, um. Something about your dad, I think, and that you didn’t exactly have a great relationship with him? I can’t—the details are really fuzzy—”

“STOP. LYING. I CAN SMELL THE LIES ON YOUR BREATH.”

“Oh, it’s coming back to me now! Yes, yes, um, there was a deathbed scene and you were being stupidly selfish, as usual—”

“I know,” Luhan cut in, letting go of Kyungsoo’s collar. Kyungsoo blinked at him, trying to smoothen out the creases Luhan had made with his hands on his clothes. “You know? You know what?”

“I know it was selfish, what I did all those years ago, okay? It just seemed like the okay thing to do at the time,” Luhan huffed, fiddling with his fringe. Kyungsoo laughed nervously at Luhan.

“Y’know what, this isn’t my problem, I wasn’t supposed to say anything to you, so—”

“No, don’t change the subject, Kyungsoo, I was trying to be open with my problems with you,” Luhan protested, grabbing his arm. “But Sehun,” Kyungsoo said weakly, pointing at the other side of the lake.

“Exactly Sehun. I can’t talk to him about this!” Luhan said, abruptly dropping down to his feet in a tiny squat. “He’s so perfect, _so_ beautiful, and he has such grandeur about him, I can’t just talk to him about my problems,” Luhan whined, sounding dangerously close to tears. A bawling Luhan wasn’t ideal, and so Kyungsoo quickly dropped down to his feet, unsure of what to do besides rubbing Luhan’s back soothingly.

“He’s also your mate though, shouldn’t it be easy to talk to him about your um. Your issues?” Kyungsoo said.

“It _is_ , it’s as easy as it should be, and that’s why I can’t do it. I don’t want him to ever think that I’m—I’m weak or dependent,” Luhan babbled, picking at a spot on his robes. Kyungsoo wasn’t following his line of thought at all.

“Okay, if it’s so easy, then why is it that you’re here, taking me on a walk and making me talk about this with you?” Kyungsoo asked, deciding that trying to understand the way Luhan’s mind was a hopeless cause.

“Well, because you’re Kyungsoo,” Luhan said petulantly. “I am Kyungsoo,” Kyungsoo repeated hollowly. “Pray tell, why is it easier to talk to me because I’m Kyungsoo?”

“Ugh, because you and my brother can talk about anything under the sky! You both are so… so icky and in love with each other and stuff because you both can talk so well to one another, and I’m just—I’m just _so layered_ , Kyungsoo, so stuffed with emotions and good taste that I don’t want Sehun to ever see me like that!” Luhan wailed.   

“Good taste. Who said you had good taste?” Kyungsoo said flatly, and Luhan pushed him over.

“I do! And that’s not the point, Kyungsoo, I just… How do you talk to my brother? This might be a great time to point out that I have eavesdropped in your conversations more than once but that’s not really what I’m trying to say here,” Luhan said, taking a deep breath to calm himself while fanning his hands towards his face.

Kyungsoo was horrified that Luhan had eavesdropped in their conversations in the past. Was the next thing out of his mouth a voyeuristic confession that he had listened in while they had sex too?

“Um. I talk to your brother like any other regular human being. Sentient being, I should say. Is it so hard to talk to Sehun about stuff like this?” Kyungsoo said. He would have to bring up the eavesdropping thing later, but for now, Luhan’s weird issues first.

“Yes, it is. He wonders why I cry in my sleep sometimes, and why I don’t ever want to meet his parents,” Luhan replied, blinking his eyes rapidly, presumably to keep his tears away.

“Oh. And it’s because… of your dad? And that thing that happened?” Kyungsoo said, inching closer to Luhan. He sniffled, wiping at his eyes with a finger.

“I guess so. But it’s not a problem where I can do something about it, Kyungsoo, my parents are _dead_. For a very long time, I might add.”

“Then did you try to explain this to Sehun? See if he can relate?” Kyungsoo said. Luhan snorted in disgust. “Why would I show him the worst parts of me? He wouldn’t want to be in love with me then.”

Kyungsoo looked at Luhan incredulously. “Are you seriously saying this right now? _‘Why would I show him the worst parts of me’_? Luhan, _you’re_ the one who told me that being mates meant unconditional love,” Kyungsoo jabbed a finger at Luhan’s shoulder.

“Ow! Yes I did, but…” he pouted his lips, looking away. “It never occurred to me that I’d have to bring up the most painful times in my life.”

Kyungsoo sighed, feeling his blood pressure rise. “You know, for someone in his thirties going on forties, you’re not that good at being in love, I have to say. Okay, remember when you told me that… that being mates meant that your partner would want you for who you are, no matter how you are?”

Luhan nodded like a child. “Well, what did you mean by that?” Kyungsoo asked. Luhan blinked at him in surprise. “Means my brother would always want to bang you, duh.”

Kyungsoo cringed at Luhan’s response. “I—Luhan, that’s not it _at all_.”

“It isn’t? Sure it is. I said what I said,” Luhan said, confused.

“I mean, yeah, ‘course we’ll have great sex forever and everything, but accepting you for who you are also means accepting your flaws, your emotional baggage… _everything_. Are you sure this didn’t occur to you when you Imprinted on Sehun, whenever…?” Kyungsoo trailed off. Luhan furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

“Dear God. Okay, let’s try this another way. Do you love Jongin?” Kyungsoo said. Luhan nodded at once. “Of course, he’s my brother.”

“Right. You know what’s unconditional love without knowing that you know. Get it? See, you love Jongin, and you care for him no matter what happens, because he’s your brother. Right?” Luhan nodded.

“And you love Sehun, are in love with him, because you were meant to be _and_ because you know in your heart that he wouldn’t care about your flaws. Don’t you?” Luhan frowned. “I’m not sure that I know that for sure.”

Kyungsoo sent a silent prayer up to God that he wouldn’t kill Luhan by the time he was done explaining this. Was he born without comprehension of emotion or something? Maybe his lukewarm relationship with his parents caused more issues than Kyungsoo initially thought.

“My point is that Sehun loves you. He loves you now, as you are, and he will still love you, even if you tell him about your daddy issues,” Kyungsoo said, prepared to give up on Luhan entirely if he shook his head and said that he didn’t get it.

Luhan looked forlorn and sad. “Will he?” he mumbled softly.

“Why the fuck not? He’s your mate, he’s gonna love you till the end of time! And furthermore, he would love you even more because you’re willing to be honest with him,” Kyungsoo said, bopping Luhan on the nose.

Luhan blinked a few times, seemingly going over the concept of unconditional love in his head. “You mean he won’t… change his mind about me? He won’t think I’m a fool?” Luhan asked, looking for comfort.

“I don’t see why he would. He’s your mate, he’s there to be by your side, after all. In fact, I think being honest only strengthens a relationship, wouldn’t you say so?” Kyungsoo said, patting Luhan’s head.

“I haven’t been lying to him though, just avoiding him about certain subjects—” Luhan tried to say, but Kyungsoo shushed him. “An omission of the truth is just the same as a lie.” Luhan fell silent at that.

 “So go ahead, talk to him about your issues, all of it. He’s not going to hate you or judge you for any of your past mistakes. It’s ‘cause he loves you, and love does that to people,” Kyungsoo said, pulling Luhan into a hug. Luhan placed his arms around Kyungsoo numbly, looking stunned at everything Kyungsoo had just said.

“You know, it makes sense now when you explain it to me, and I… I don’t know why I ever thought any different,” Luhan whispered. Kyungsoo laughed at the raw note in his voice. “You’re silly. Telling me Jongin will always love me when in fact you didn’t even understand it yourself. Love is about faith, Luhan. I read that somewhere. Have faith in Sehun that he’ll accept you, and he will.”

Luhan pulled away from him, wiping at his eyes. “I think you understand this better because you’re a Pureblood. I’ve heard that Purebloods are more sensitive to emotion and—”

“Is it just about being a Pureblood, Luhan? Or is it about really putting myself out there, and hoping that Jongin will always be there for me?” Kyungsoo smiled. Luhan laughed weakly, leaning into Kyungsoo’s side. Maybe Kyungsoo was better at understanding love than Luhan was, but they were all learning how to love each other more every day. And that was beautiful in its own way, in spite of species, age or appearance.

The rest of the day, Kyungsoo and Luhan put their emotional shit aside and devoted themselves to hooking Yixing and Minseok up together. It helped that everyone was in the know, and although they were borderline pushy at times, Yixing seemed to understand and went along with their games, being the cheerful one in the lot.

Chanyeol suggested a swimming contest around the lake after lunch, and whoever swam a lap around the lake first would be the winner. “Winner gets the first bite of the last rabbit, guys!” Chanyeol said, watching Suho cook it over the fire. It was more than halfway done, and by the time everyone was done swimming it would definitely be ready.

“Okay then, should we swim in teams?” Luhan said. There were only seven of them, excluding the vampires, so Kyungsoo shook his head. “It’d be uneven,” he said, and after doing a quick head count to be sure, everyone else agreed. “Or someone could sit out and watch the rabbit. Suho has to swim too,” Chanyeol said.

“I will sit out,” Kyungsoo said, standing up at once. Jongin pulled him back down, pouting at him. “Don’t you want to play, _min kjærlighet_?” he asked. Kyungsoo made an X with his hands. “Swimming and me don’t get along well. Anything but being fit,” Kyungsoo said, waving the suggestion away. It wasn’t because he didn’t want to play along, it was because he wasn’t even sure he could swim three feet across the lake.

“Kyungsoo can cook pretty well. Maybe we should just let him sit this one out. Make sure the rabbit is cooked,” Chanyeol said, nodding at him.

“All right then. How long will the rabbit take to cook?” Luhan asked, already undoing the sashes on his robes. Suho thought about it, pursing his lips. “Maybe ten minutes more? It’s almost done,” he said, gesturing at the rabbit.

“Then all of you should get swimming now, since ten minutes isn’t a lot of time,” Kyungsoo said. Chanyeol and Luhan sprinted towards the lake, throwing off their clothes as they ran. Yixing waited for Minseok to get up from his seat before shyly asking him if he’d like to swim before or after him. Kyungsoo side eyed them as they went off, feeling proud that after much goading and teasing, Yixing was finally able to open up to Minseok and forget his books for a while.

Jongin stood up, kissing Kyungsoo on the forehead and promising that he’d share the rabbit with him if he won. “You should share it with all of us, we’re all under you,” Kyungsoo smiled, motioning for him to go off with the rest. Suho dithered around awkwardly, and Jongin reluctantly left Kyungsoo by the fire, jogging towards the lake.

While they were gone, Kyungsoo brought out new paper plates to serve the rabbit. It wasn’t very large, just enough for two, but it would be about a mouthful if shared between seven people. Kyungsoo was highly doubtful that any of them would be selfish enough to eat just one rabbit on their own; they already had five rabbits between themselves for lunch.

Since Luhan and Chanyeol were so eager to swim, they swam together around the lake, and Chanyeol lagged behind Luhan towards the end of the race, struggling to keep up. Yixing timed both of them, and Luhan took two minutes and three seconds while Chanyeol took two minutes and twenty seconds.

Next up was Jongin, who insisted on swimming alone because he didn’t want to be distracted by competition. No one objected; no one dared to swim with Jongin anyway. He dived in and took one minute fifty five seconds to go around the lake, putting him at first place right away.

Turning the rabbit slowly on the spit roast over the fire, Kyungsoo watched Yixing and Minseok swim together. Luhan counted the seconds obnoxiously with his loud voice, bellowing one, two, three at the top of his lungs.

Yixing, not very surprisingly to Kyungsoo, took two minutes and ten seconds, while Minseok shocked everyone by practically zooming around the lake and reaching the end at one minute thirty seconds. Luhan almost fainted at his record time. Finally, Suho went into the lake, and finished at a respectable two minutes, flat. The winner was obvious, and everyone lifted Minseok up into the air, to his dismay.

“The dumpling wins the rabbit!” Chanyeol yelled, putting his arms up and acting like he was the winner. Kyungsoo laughed at the apparent shock on Minseok’s face; clearly he was hoping someone would top his record. But he did too well for his own good, and now he had to take the glory whether he wanted it or not.

“You did well,” Kyungsoo called out at all of them. The rabbit was pretty much done, and Kyungsoo started cutting it up into pieces for Minseok to distribute, since it was obvious he wasn’t going to be selfish about the rabbit. The six swimmers hurriedly got dressed while Kyungsoo tried his best at butchering the rabbit, hoping that no one would notice what a bad job he was doing.

“Minseok, who’s gonna get the first bite?” Luhan asked, harassing the life out of poor Minseok. Kyungsoo listened closely, expecting him to say Jongin or maybe Luhan, but his reply surprised everyone.

“Erm, I was hoping Sir Kyungsoo could get the first piece—”

“What?” he said loudly, turning around to stare at him. “In the name of making the King very happy,” he finished weakly, looking around at everyone suspiciously.

“Right, right. Kyungsoo, do you accept?” Luhan said, sounding like an MC at a music awards or something. Kyungsoo snorted. “What else can I do? It’d be rude to refuse,” he said, slicing the back leg off the rabbit by accident.

“Oh my God, I’m so sorry,” Kyungsoo said to the rabbit without thinking. Luckily, he had a plate in his hands and caught the leg in time before it fell to the ground. He tried not to imagine the rabbit hopping about in the woods, looking all cute and fluffy while here Kyungsoo was, butchering the poor thing up badly.

“Do you require help, sire?” Suho said, coming over with a towel around his neck. Kyungsoo handed the knife and plates to him. “Yes, I cut the leg off by accident, and I’m too emotionally scarred to do it again,” Kyungsoo said, shutting his eyes when Suho took the knife and just stuck into the rabbit. He looked puzzled at Kyungsoo’s reaction, but resumed his part as Camping Chef, as Luhan called him.

Slowly, everyone ambled over as well and took the plates Kyungsoo had set out for them on the logs. Jongin came over last, taking his time to dress up and dry himself off. He sat down with a loud exhale beside Kyungsoo, taking a plate for himself and Kyungsoo.

“Kyungsoo, go ahead and get the first bite,” Luhan said, pointing at his paper plate. “Do I really have to eat first?” Kyungsoo asked. It was just a rabbit after all. “Have it already,” Luhan said, gesturing at Kyungsoo to eat it. _Fine then_ , he thought, picking up a small piece.

It was unnerving to have all eyes on him as he ate, but eat he did, shoving the slice of meat into his mouth. Kyungsoo savoured the flavour of the fire cooked meat, licking his fingers off. “There, I ate it. Can you guys just tuck in already?” Kyungsoo said, feeling his cheeks turning red.

Luhan and Chanyeol sniggered at Kyungsoo’s embarrassment, chomping on their own slices of meat too. Jongin drew an arm around Kyungsoo, smiling down at him to comfort him.

*

It was night before Kyungsoo knew it, signalling that the second day of their trip was pretty much gone. Baekhyun brought his lights out again, and this time showed off by changing the colour of his lights from blue to pink, from yellow to green. It was starting to feel like Kyungsoo was at a LED light show, rather than in the middle of the forest. Most of them sat by the fire eating marshmallows, except for Kyungsoo, Jongin, Jongdae and Sehun who were all hanging out by the edge of the lake.

 Jongin declined when Kyungsoo asked him if he wanted to go for a swim, saying that it was a hassle to have to change in front of everyone. So they laid down side by side again, staring up at the same stars, talking in muted voices.

“By the way, I talked to Luhan while you were hunting,” Kyungsoo said casually. He figured that Luhan’s welfare was well in Jongin’s right, and brought this subject up now since he didn’t want Luhan eavesdropping on them if he had told Jongin about this in the castle.

 “Oh? About what, love?” Jongin asked unsuspectingly.

“About your parents,” Kyungsoo said lightly, holding his breath to see how Jongin would react. Jongin sighed, turning his head to look at him in disappointment.

“I told you, my love, Luhan prefers not to talk about it—”

“Yeah, but you know what, he was the one who came to me to talk about it,” Kyungsoo cut in before Jongin got upset.

“He was?” Jongin asked, surprised. Kyungsoo nodded, pulling the skins closer to him. “Yeah. And it was nice of you to not bring it up with him, but he’s been hiding a lot of pain. In the end though, it wasn’t so much about the dad thing as it was about him feeling like he couldn’t communicate with Sehun honestly.”

“Really, love? Care to share with me my brother’s problems?” Jongin said.

“He thought that hiding it was the solution because he was afraid to show who he really was inside to Sehun. He didn’t want Sehun’s opinion of him to change, and y’know, I told him that that’s not how love works. Sehun would always love him just as he does now, and I told him to work out his daddy issues with Sehun instead. So if you want to get angry at me, go ahead, but I didn’t actually talk to him about the dad thing.”

“Huh. All of those years of not wanting to speak about his problems was because he was afraid of what people would think?” Jongin said in partial disbelief.

“I don’t blame him for feeling that way, though. It must be hard, constantly living up to other people’s expectations till you don’t know who you want to be anymore,” Kyungsoo said, staring blankly up at the stars in the sky. Little lights glowing rainbow colours drifted in and out of Kyungsoo’s vision slowly, looking like ultra bright stars.

Jongin turned to look at him. “Is it hard to be with me then, _min kjærlighet_?”

Kyungsoo furrowed his eyebrows, turning his head to meet Jongin’s heavy gaze. “Why would you ask me that?”

“It sounds like you have a hard time adjusting while being with me,” Jongin said softly, watching Kyungsoo’s face carefully.

Kyungsoo chuckled. “I don’t have a hard time adjusting, Jongin. I just pretend you’re normal and we’re just… just together, y’know?”

“Sometimes I wonder what our lives could have been if you had always been in this world, or if I was a Pureblood like you. Would your parents have been kinder to you, or would they still react the same way?” Jongin said wistfully.

“I think it’s better to just enjoy this moment right here, under the stars. There’s really no point crying over spilt milk, Jongin, or in this case, milk that doesn’t even exist. But for what it’s worth, Jongin…” Kyungsoo sat up halfway, leaning his body towards Jongin.

“I would fall in love with you over and over again, despite the challenges we may or may not face in different lives. If truth be told, I would want you to be the only great love in my life, and for every other next life.”

Jongin smiled at him, reaching a hand up to run his fingers through Kyungsoo’s hair. “You too, are my great love, _min kjærlighet,_ and you will always be. I cannot imagine anyone else who I’d like to spend the rest of my life with.” Kyungsoo blushed, pressing his face into Jongin’s chest.

Why they were so sappy whenever they were stargazing was a mystery to him, but it was good to be honest, right? It still didn’t change the way Kyungsoo felt every time Jongin confessed something like that to him, though.

“We’re so embarrassing,” Kyungsoo muttered, patting his cheeks self consciously.

“Would you rather I keep all my feelings inside, love?” Jongin laughed, lifting Kyungsoo’s chin up. “Nnrgh,” Kyungsoo groaned, moving away and lying beside Jongin properly once more. He sighed, a bittersweet feeling washing over him.

“I’m happy that a lot has come out of this trip, y’know?” Kyungsoo said, just to change the subject. “How so, my love?” Jongin said, biting down on a smile.

“We’re all just that much closer, Luhan can finally be open with Sehun, Yixing and Minseok are starting to become more than just friends, I… “ Kyungsoo pursed his lips thoughtfully. “I have my life put into perspective for me. At this point, I think I’m ready to do anything to stay in Lycanfort.”

“You think?” Jongin echoed.

“I _am_. I’m ready to stay in Lycanfort. Even if I wasn’t supposed to be with you here, I would still stay just because it’s such a beautiful place.”

“Are you still sure about extending your life span for my sake?” Jongin asked. “Absolutely,” Kyungsoo said without hesitation. “Like I said so many times already that it’s starting to feel old, I want to be with you. I don’t even care that you’re not happy about this now, because in fifty years, you’re gonna be thanking me for this.”

“Now why would I do that?” Jongin asked teasingly. Kyungsoo pretended to tap his chin. “Well for starters, I’ll probably still look like this. Second, I won’t be going senile and calling you Luhan by mistake or anything like that.”

“Luhan and I have distinctly different facial structures, wouldn’t you say so?” Jongin said. “Not really, if it’s just a fleeting glance. I think if it weren’t for the robes, half of the time I would be mistaking you for Luhan,” Kyungsoo teased.

Jongin pretended to sigh wearily. “Don’t worry, Jongin, we’ll be back soon in your castle and I won’t have to see Luhan all the time and then I won’t think he’s you.”

“There’s only one more day left of this blasted trip now, isn’t there?” Jongin said thoughtfully. Kyungsoo nodded. “Yup. And we could just wing it and get Sehun to Portal all of us back to your castle tomorrow night.”

“I think we might need to stop by Europe soon, after we return to the castle,” Jongin said, going through the days in his head. Kyungsoo blinked at him. “Really? Why, do you have something business related to deal with Jongdae?”

“Well, if Sehun successfully rewrites the spell then it means we’ll have to go to Europe for him to cast the spell over you. It is easier that way, love, and the servants won’t think I’m allowing Sehun to cast a death spell over you of some sort.”

Kyungsoo nodded in comprehension. “Right. He said a week or so, though. Do you think we could hurry him up?”

Jongin frowned at him. “I wouldn’t do that, love. He might panic and rewrite the spell wrongly, or get the wrong ingredients.”

Kyungsoo sighed. “Fine. But that just means more time to spend with you, so it’d be nice if you were physically and emotionally available for me during that period,” Kyungsoo smiled sweetly at him. Jongin looked wounded. “I like to think I’m always there for you, love—”

“No I mean, don’t get carried away with work and leave me alone with Luhan,” Kyungsoo said. “Ah,” Jongin said, catching his meaning. “Yes, of course, love. Such a terrible fate, to be spending afternoons with my brother—”

“Shut up,” Kyungsoo giggled, hitting his chest. Jongin was about to start a tickle war on Kyungsoo when Jongdae came over in his silk pyjamas, carrying a cup of blood.

“Oh, Jongdae, is that you?” Kyungsoo said, looking at him with his head upside down. He wiggled his fingers at them. “Sorry to interrupt, guys, but there was something I needed to mention,” he said, sitting down on the grass beside them.

Kyungsoo and Jongin sat up, looking at him curiously. “What is it? Is something wrong?” Kyungsoo asked.

“No, not really, just a tiny hiccup in the spell Sehun is rewriting. We’re working on it right now actually,” Jongdae said, pointing a thumb in Sehun’s direction. He was writing furiously on a piece of paper in his lap, constantly referring to an open book on the grass.

“Oh. I thought you both were reading,” Kyungsoo laughed. Jongdae took a sip out of his cup, slightly rolling his eyes at Kyungsoo. “I’ve done enough reading to last me a lifetime. Anyway, about the spell,” he said, clearing his throat.

“Hongbin started working on it yesterday, and I Portaled to Europe awhile ago to see how it was coming along, and he noticed something about the spell work.

Because the spell is relatively unfinished, we had to put it in other words from other similar spells to bring it together. Now, since there’s not a lot of spells to be done on Purebloods, we had to take some words from the spells that are usually cast over Europeans. That’s not the real problem though, because it will definitely have the desired effect on you once we’ve tweaked it a little, but it will also have… undesired or unexpected effects.”

Jongdae paused to let everything soak in. Kyungsoo felt his heart sink in his chest. “What… sort of effects?” Jongin asked softly from beside him.

“The spell draws energy from the surroundings, the earth, because it’s like borrowing time. Since the energy comes from the earth, you might be a little um… maybe, green?” Kyungsoo gaped at him.

“Or you might have communicative skills with earth, things like that,” Jongdae quickly said. That caught Kyungsoo’s attention. _Communicative skills with the earth? Did that thrumming in my hands have anything to do with that?_

He kept silent, unsure if it was something he was supposed to bring up. Maybe it was a onetime thing, maybe it was just the ground being weird; it could’ve been hollow at the time, and maybe Kyungsoo felt it just because the ground wasn’t packed solid. It seemed like a silly thing to worry about, and besides. Earth could still mean a lot of things.

“Are you saying that you don’t know what kind of effects it can have on me?” Kyungsoo asked. Jongdae nodded. “Because it’s unfamiliar territory, I’m sorry to say I won’t have any control over the effects, so if it’s somehow deadly…” Jongdae trailed off. 

“I might die from this, won’t I?” Kyungsoo asked flatly. Jongdae didn’t reply, only swirled the blood around in his cup. Jongin sighed loudly beside Kyungsoo, his good mood apparently vanished. “Don’t—don’t do this, love, it’s not worth your life,” Jongin said, running a hand through his hair in frustration.

Kyungsoo tsked at him. “Go on with the spell, Jongdae,” Kyungsoo urged him.

“No, don’t do it,” Jongin said firmly, looking Jongdae straight in the eyes. He held up his hands in surrender. “Take some time to think about it, guys. There’s no rush, right? Get back to me in a few days, and see if you both can come to some sort of agreement,” Jongdae said, already getting up.

“Jongdae, there’s no need to wait for us, just get on with it—” Kyungsoo tried to say, but Jongin placed a hand on his leg, his gaze pleading.

Jongdae looked at the both of them in pity. “Kai has every right to be apprehensive about this, and so do you, Kyungsoo. Think about it,” he repeated, taking a few steps backwards and holding out his cup in their direction. “Take your time,” he said softly, before finally walking away.

“Jongin! Why are you even hesitating about this?” Kyungsoo said in exasperation when Jongdae was out of earshot. He expected Jongin to be furious with him for trying to oppose him, but instead, Jongin just caressed Kyungsoo’s face tenderly, a sad look in his eyes.

“It would kill me if you died from this, my love,” he whispered. Kyungsoo held his face in both hands, staring into his miserable eyes. “I won’t, Jongin. There’s only a small chance that I’ll actually die from this—”

“ _Promise_ _me_ , love. Promise me you won’t go through with this madness,” Jongin cut in, holding Kyungsoo’s hands to his face. His eyes shone with unshed tears, and Kyungsoo faltered, did a double take and wondered if Jongin was actually afraid Kyungsoo would really die.

“Say you won’t, my love. Give me your word that you will refuse this offer. We’ll find another way, my love, I’m sure we will,” Jongin insisted, breathing heavily. _There isn’t any other way around to loving you,_ Kyungsoo thought. _I’d take this road for us, Jongin, even if you don’t want it._

“I promise,” Kyungsoo whispered, kissing Jongin on the lips. He could taste the fear on his mouth through his salty tears, bitter and harsh. Kyungsoo prayed that Jongin couldn’t taste the lie on his tongue even as he tried to hide it beneath the truth.

*

Jongin’s breath had finally slowed down and the rest of the company was quiet. The forest too, seemed to have settled for night when Kyungsoo crept out of Jongin’s arms, moving stealthily towards Jongdae twenty to thirty feet away. He couldn’t sleep, not with the thoughts that swirled around his head in a loop.

Jongdae, Sehun and Baekhyun were seated together in a circle, a messy pile of open books and dog eared pages between them. Baekhyun spotted Kyungsoo walking towards them and gave a nod of acknowledgement as he came over. Kyungsoo put a finger to his lips, motioning for them to keep quiet.

“What’s wrong, Soo?” Baekhyun asked, concern in his voice.

“Before I say anything, I need this to be just between us four. You can’t tell Chanyeol, you can’t tell Luhan, especially not him, and you can’t mention this to Suho too. Not a single person,” Kyungsoo whispered almost inaudibly to all of them. He was worried that Jongin would hear their conversation somehow; if he overheard this, he might never forgive Kyungsoo for his imminent betrayal.

“Okay, but what is it about?” Baekhyun whispered, setting his papers aside. Kyungsoo sat down on the grass, taking a deep breath to calm himself. “I want all of you to go through with the spell,” he mouthed.

Baekhyun quirked an eyebrow. “But Jongdae just said that you might not want it,” Kyungsoo shook his head, pointing at Jongin. “He’s the one who’s saying no, but it’s a spell for _me_ , so I don’t want him to get in the way of this anymore.”

Sehun looked uncertain. “You want us to do this behind his back?” he asked softly. “Look, he’s scared that I’ll die from this, but I don’t care, I want to take the risk for both of us. If it works, he won’t have anything to say about it,” Kyungsoo hissed.

“What if it doesn’t work? He’ll kill all of us and start a war on Europe,” Jongdae whispered, furrowing his eyebrows. Kyungsoo was afraid that he was losing the both of them, only Baekhyun seemed like he was fine with it; best friends did come handy, after all.

“Don’t worry about that, I’ll write a letter or something, and Baekhyun can pass it to him just in case anything happens, alright? I’ll put in a word for you, and he’ll realize that I was the one who wanted this in the first place, okay? If you want, I could say that I forced all of you into it,” Kyungsoo said, pulling out all the stops. He knew, and they all knew, that Jongin would take Kyungsoo’s word for it. Jongdae looked at Sehun, shrugging his shoulders.

“I… suppose we could do it,” Sehun said uneasily, glancing at Jongin. Kyungsoo crossed his fingers, closing his eyes in relief.

“Okay then. Are we good? No one can speak about this to anyone, and you’ll go on with the spell,” Kyungsoo said, just to confirm with them. Jongdae nodded. “I’ll tell you when it’s done, and one of us will Portal you to Europe to cast the spell.”

“In a week?” Kyungsoo said. Jongdae shook his head. “Baekhyun wanted to help out, so probably less than six days. I’ll get Baekhyun to bring you when it’s ready.” Kyungsoo nodded, feeling rather excited despite everything.

“Kyungsoo, you’re positive about this? You’re not gonna back out?” Baekhyun said, holding out a hand to him. Kyungsoo took it, staring into his fretful red eyes.

There was a small part of him that wanted to say _no, no I’m not entirely sure about this because I might die from it_ , but a louder part of his subconscious yelled _yes, you are_. _You_ have _to be._

 Even if he wasn’t ready, even if Jongin would be angry at him for the next century, even if it meant plotting behind his back like this, it was something he had to do for Jongin, and no one else could decide for Kyungsoo but himself.

“Yeah. Couldn’t be surer about anything else,” Kyungsoo replied, sending him a small, reassuring smile. They all shook on it, and Kyungsoo hugged Baekhyun last before he went back to Jongin, throwing the skins over himself again.

“Where did you go, love?” Jongin murmured, putting his arms around Kyungsoo’s waist. In that brief moment, he panicked; maybe Jongin did hear their conversation after all.

“I um, went to pee,” Kyungsoo whispered, testing out his luck. Jongin hummed sleepily in response, kissing the top of his head. A moment later, and he was sound asleep once more, his entire faith on Kyungsoo’s words unshaken.

 _I’m sorry, Jongin_ , Kyungsoo thought, trying frantically not to cry in Jongin’s arms. The tears welled up in his eyes as he felt the cool _adamas_ bracelet on his hand, Jongin’s blind faith and trust in Kyungsoo hurting like a knife in Kyungsoo’s chest. _Did I do the right thing?_ Kyungsoo thought, sending his thoughts to God.

He wanted some sort of confirmation, an affirmation that yes, he would live through this betrayal, and the spell would absolutely work on him and he’d never have to live with this weight on his chest if he died within the next few days. But there was nothing the Father Lord did to answer Kyungsoo’s prayers.

It was done, and not even European magic could undo the sins of the past.


	18. I know that we were made to break (so what? I don't mind)

** I know that we were made to break (so what? I don’t mind) **

The sounds of the night accompanied Kyungsoo as he lay on the grass in Jongin’s arms, waiting for sleep to claim him. Cicadas chirped loudly and other nocturnal animals rustled through the trees, sounding as wide awake as Kyungsoo felt. It had been three hours since Jongdae and the others called it a night and went to sleep, signalling that dawn was coming.

He had gotten a hold of himself after he cried a little, but the guilt in his chest did not ease. Kyungsoo still wondered if he was doing the right thing by forcing the plan along without Jongin knowing. He knew that what he wanted wasn’t impossible, but was it excessive of him to go with _this_ spell?

 _What am I_ doing _to us?_ Kyungsoo asked himself.

What if he tore them apart once and for all? What if Jongin did have a very good reason to be afraid for him? Maybe he could sense death down this path or maybe he didn’t like it, but… Kyungsoo had already made a deal with Jongdae and the other vampires.

 _I made my bed, and I should lay in it_ , Kyungsoo thought miserably. _But I wish I didn’t have to hide this from Jongin._

The part where he had to lie to keep this a secret was probably the worst thing Kyungsoo had ever done to Jongin. And it was only a matter of time before he found out; by then, would he still have it in his heart to forgive Kyungsoo, even in death? Kyungsoo didn’t know, and he couldn’t ask anyone about it either. _I hope this doesn’t make him hate me._  

Towards sunrise, Kyungsoo’s thoughts melted away and he just laid on his back quietly, listening to the sounds of the forest fading away into silence. The sky was dark, but it lit up soon enough, and it was almost awe inspiring to see the changes in nature occurring around him.

The silvery black colours of the forest slowly regained their colour, trees turning green and a cloud of mist settling over the lake as the air warmed up gradually. Birds started tweeting and chirping, flying from tree to tree, and finally, the sun burst over the treetops, peeking through the leaves and spreading light over Lycanfort. He shut his eyes, letting the sun beams wash away the bitter feeling in his heart. It couldn’t take away the guilt though, but the sight of the sun rising over the trees was a beautiful distraction nevertheless.

He wanted to keep the beauty of everything he had just seen in his head, wanted these memories to last, because he didn’t know how much time he had left anymore. His life could either come to an end or be extended for an indefinite amount of time, but either way, this Kyungsoo, this life as he knew it would soon be over. The spell was more than just about extending his lifespan; it was going to give him a new life with Jongin, or potentially bring him to the afterlife.

When the sun was up and the mist started to dissipate into thin air, Jongin stirred beside Kyungsoo and he pretended he was still asleep, clutching the edge of the skins.

Jongin didn’t move too much, trying not to jostle Kyungsoo beside him. Kyungsoo could feel his breath on the back of his neck and felt his eyes burning a hole through his head, but he counted the seconds between each breath, inhaling and exhaling slowly.

“My love, are you awake?” Jongin whispered. Kyungsoo kept his eyes closed, but inside he didn’t know what to do. Pretend he was still asleep, or open his eyes and mumble a small yes? His body lay frozen on the ground against Jongin’s body, and he decided that pretending he was still asleep was a better idea.

Jongin waited for him to answer, for him to react, and when none was forthcoming he kept silent as well, leaning forward to breathe in Kyungsoo’s scent. Kyungsoo prayed that his skin wouldn’t rise into goosebumps, otherwise he’d know he was actually awake.

 

What felt like hours later, Kyungsoo finally did fall asleep just for a short while, before he could hear sounds of people walking around. The ground thumped like a heartbeat every time someone stepped a certain way, or placed something heavily on the ground. It felt weird and discerning, but it also felt like he was part of the earth in a way.

 _You’re going crazy_ , Kyungsoo told himself.

The ground gave a rather loud thump when someone sat down near him, and pulsed as that person leaned over Kyungsoo. _Delusion feels so real_ , he thought, feeling the pulses like a heartbeat.

“Love? It is almost noon, and you should wake up soon. I kept a bit of breakfast for you,” Kyungsoo felt Jongin whisper in his ear. He groaned, turning into his direction and opening his eyes. The pulses faded away when he focused on Jongin’s pretty face.

Jongin smiled at him gently, brushing his hair from his face. “Did you have a hard time sleeping, love? I could feel your unease the whole night,” Jongin said.

Kyungsoo nodded, unsure of what else to say. Jongin continued to smile down at him fondly. “Well, today’s the last day of the trip. You’ll be able to get some rest once we go home.”

“I have a headache,” Kyungsoo grimaced, feeling the back of his head pounding like a drum. Jongin frowned, feeling his forehead for a temperature.

“Perhaps it was lack of sleep, my love. Would you like to lie down some more?”

He couldn’t let Jongin think there was something wrong with him; he’d suspect something was up right away. Kyungsoo shut his eyes and shook his head, breathing deeply to clear his thoughts. “I’m fine. Just give me a minute and I’ll be up,” he mumbled. The thumps and pulses were getting to him anyway.

Jongin caressed his cheek and said that he’d get some water and biscuits for him. He left, and Kyungsoo tried to pull himself together, trying to summon some energy to put on an act for Jongin’s sake. _I can’t be like this. Jongin_ can’t _know about last night_ , he thought.

At that thought, he kicked off the skins and sat up, shoving the events of the night before to the back of his head forcefully. Guilty or not, he owed it to Jongin to be normal.

Crawling on all fours, Kyungsoo made his way to the edge of the lake to splash water on his face. He only had about an hour of sleep, but like Jongin said, Kyungsoo hoped he could catch up on sleep later in the castle. Lord only knew he was going to need it if he had to act like nothing was wrong.

Jongin returned with the biscuits and water soon enough and he draped an arm over Kyungsoo’s shoulders as he sat down. Kyungsoo leaned on him despite himself, taking the small pack of milk biscuits from him. As much as he hated the fact that he was betraying Jongin behind his back, he still needed him to be there when he felt so vulnerable like this. Never mind the reason, he just knew in his heart that Jongin would always be there to offer him a shoulder to cry and lean on, and that only made everything feel worse.

“Is everything alright, my love?” Jongin murmured, mildly surprised that Kyungsoo was this clingy after waking up only a few minutes ago. It usually took a few hours of warm up before he became like this.

“Yeah, I just… I feel like I’ve missed you,” Kyungsoo mumbled, ripping the pack open and taking out a biscuit. Jongin’s chest rumbled in silent laughter.

“I’ve only been gone a few minutes, love,” he answered wryly, watching Kyungsoo chew the biscuit slowly in his mouth. Kyungsoo shrugged, wiping crumbs away from his lips. “Needed a hug, then,” he said. Jongin smiled, kissing his cheek.

“There, love. Do you feel better?” Jongin asked. Kyungsoo blushed and nodded, swallowing his biscuit and shoving a second one in his mouth to avoid making weird, gurgly noises. “By the way, love, there’s something I need to say,” Jongin said, caressing his hair gently.

Kyungsoo looked at him questioningly. Jongin cleared his throat, waiting for Kyungsoo to finish his biscuit.

“What is it?” Kyungsoo said with some difficulty through his biscuit. Jongin chuckled, brushing away the crumbs on his mouth. “It’s rude to talk with your mouth full, love,” he whispered, smiling at him fondly. Kyungsoo wondered if it had something to do with the spell. Maybe he had caught a bit of Kyungsoo’s conversation last night, after all, and he might ask him about it and get mad at him. Then maybe he wouldn’t be so smiley and beautiful, wrecking havoc on Kyungsoo’s senses.

Kyungsoo lifted both of his eyebrows in question, continuing to chew on his biscuit and Jongin sighed, placing a hand over his cheek.

“It’s about last night, love. There’s something I need you to know,” he said softly. Kyungsoo widened his eyes slightly. Did he _really_ hear Kyungsoo’s conversation?

“Love, I think I was a bit too forward with you last night, and I feel like I owe you an apology,” Jongin said. Kyungsoo felt a wave of relief, but was somewhat disappointed that it wasn’t about the deal he had made with Jongdae and the others. Maybe if he overheard it and confronted Kyungsoo about it, it would save him from having to explain himself to Jongin.

“I don’t… know what you mean, Jongin, I wasn’t—I’m not mad at you, if that’s why you think you need to apologize,” Kyungsoo said. Jongin shook his head.

“It’s not just that, love, I… I’ve thought about it, and I’ve decided that I won’t stand in your way if we find another better solution, love. I promise there will be no reluctance on my part whatsoever,” he said, reaching for Kyungsoo’s hand.

Kyungsoo couldn’t believe it. What he just said made Kyungsoo’s insides squirm in guilt as he absorbed every word. Jongin had such faith, such utter _trust_ in him that he’d never think that Kyungsoo would betray him, but if he knew what Kyungsoo had in mind, it stung to think how Jongin might feel.

“You said another better solution. So that means there’s not a chance in hell you’ll reconsider this spell?” Kyungsoo said hopefully. Jongin shook his head at once. “No. I won’t take a chance on your life like that. We can wait for another spell, or something else to live our lives together, but not this, my love.”

“Not even a flicker of hope?”

“Certainly not,” he said firmly.

Great. Kyungsoo was the biggest hypocrite in the world, lying and scheming so easily to the only person who loved him unconditionally and just promised that they’d go with the next best spell without a hitch.

 _What am I doing to him?_ Kyungsoo asked himself, looking into Jongin’s eyes.

_What am I doing to us?_

“It’s um… great to hear that you’re not gonna be contradicting me next time,” Kyungsoo said, trying to keep his tone neutral. “I’ll uh. Wait. So that means the one week probation deal is off?” Kyungsoo asked.

Jongin shrugged. “The spell is too dangerous to continue, after all. The next time, I won’t force you to do anything, love. I promise,” he said, the legitimacy in his voice almost painful. Kyungsoo squeezed his hand, shifting his gaze to the surface of the lake.

“Thank you then, Jongin. I—I really don’t know what else to say.” And that was as close to the truth as Kyungsoo could manage. Jongin smiled at him. “Good, love, because that wasn’t the only thing I needed to say to you.”

Kyungsoo hummed in his throat, picking up a biscuit and putting it into his mouth again. “The New Year is upon us in four days, my love, and there will be a large celebration in town,” he said, leaning back on his arms. Kyungsoo nodded in comprehension, remembering what Chanyeol had told him. “I know, Chanyeol told me about it,” he mumbled.

“Ah. Well, I was rather hoping that perhaps you’d allow me to take you to town and join me in the inaugural ceremony of sending the first _spenstig kurver_ , love, the…” Jongin furrowed his eyebrows trying to think of the right words.

“ _Spenstig_ what?” Kyungsoo repeated. “Is it made of paper?” he asked. Jongin snapped his fingers. “Yes, that’s right, my love. People take paper and fold it into boats or flowers with candles in them, and send down any water source,” Jongin said, nodding to himself.

“Oh. Can you make really nice—What is it again?” 

“ _Spenstig_ _kurver_ ,” Jongin supplied. “Right. Can you make really nice ones?” Kyungsoo asked, genuinely curious. Jongin smiled sheepishly. “Only simple ones, love. The servants and the townspeople make very elaborate ones, but I only had so much time for my childhood before I took over the throne.”

Kyungsoo smiled, nuzzling the crook of Jongin’s neck. “Of course. It’s okay, Jongin, I don’t mind folding simple paper boats with you,” he said. Jongin placed a kiss on the top of his head, lacing their fingers tightly together.

“One can write their resolutions or wishes on the paper boat too, love. I’ve done it before, and it worked for me,” Jongin said, a shy smile on his lips.

Kyungsoo couldn’t help smiling widely at his expression. “Really? What did you wish for?” he asked.

“Of course, I wished for you, my love. It’s always been you,” Jongin said softly, leaning forward to give him a chaste kiss. Kyungsoo’s chest clenched painfully as he felt his heart stop. Why did Jongin love him so much? Kyungsoo kissed him back, clutching at his vest. He didn’t even know what to feel about himself anymore.

“What do you say, my love?” Jongin whispered in his ear when he broke away. Kyungsoo nodded, breathing deeply through his nose to hold back the tears behind his eyes. “I’d love to come, Jongin,” he whispered back, throwing his arms around him for a hug. There was so much that Jongin wanted to give Kyungsoo but he didn’t deserve it anymore, not after what he did last night.

He wanted to tell him the truth at that moment, spill his secret and promise him that he’d never do something like this again, but he was afraid that Jongin would want to keep him human after that, and that was exactly what Kyungsoo didn’t want.

 _Is this too much to gamble on, though?_ Kyungsoo thought, feeling Jongin’s arm circling his upper body and hugging him back. _I don’t know how long I can keep this secret._ It seemed like a good idea at the time, but now, not so much.

*

After breakfast, Jongin left Kyungsoo to forage for vegetables (everyone was tired of eating meat) with Suho, Minseok and surprisingly, Yixing. He had an avid interest for botany (among other boring hobbies), and wanted to see what other plants there could be in the forest. The rest remained at the camp to relax by making a flower chain together (at Luhan’s demand).

“Should we take the tent down now?” Jongdae suddenly asked when everyone was absorbed with picking flowers, looking up at Luhan with his sunglasses.

Kyungsoo blinked at them. “Why do we need to take down the tent? Isn’t tonight the last night here?” he asked, trying to get a blade of grass to twist around his fingers without breaking it. Sehun had already started the chain, and Kyungsoo took one end, trying to bring the links of grass together.

“Oh, right, I forgot to mention it to you. We’re gonna leave early today ‘cause Sehun and Jongdae are desperately needed at Europe tonight,” Baekhyun said, plucking flowers for Kyungsoo.

“Some royal on his deathbed. I’m not in a big rush to handle it, but I definitely have to be in Europe tonight to attend his funeral,” Jongdae said. He sounded like he was rolling his eyes behind his glasses. Kyungsoo almost believed him when Sehun glanced up at him and shook his head almost imperceptibly.

 _Oh. They’re going to work on the spell for me_ , Kyungsoo realized. Jongdae certainly lied smoothly. Luhan nodded at all of them. “That’s right, so I thought it best that we leave together as a whole. Besides, I’m itching _everywhere_ and no one has an ointment for me to apply on the itches,” Luhan said, sighing.

Kyungsoo bit his lip. Leaving early meant potentially too much time with Jongin now that there were no national threats held to their necks. What if he slipped up?

“So should we take the tents down now?” Jongdae repeated his question. Luhan shrugged. “After we finish making this chain, then sure.”

“There’s already seven feet of grass and flowers here; are we really going to continue making it?” Chanyeol said, holding up the delicate chain with both hands. Baekhyun laughed. “Maybe we’ll hang it around our necks and walk through the Portal later.”

“Who said anything about Portaling? I told you I wanted this trip to be very hands on,” Luhan said threateningly. Baekhyun gave his best pity face. Chanyeol held a hand to his chest, pretending he was in pain.

“I’ve never made a proper Portal for us. Let me try it at least,” Baekhyun whined. Luhan considered it while Baekhyun threw all the flowers he had plucked at Luhan until he gave up and said yes. “I don’t think I want to risk getting the sole of my right foot itchy again. It only went down this morning,” Luhan said, looking at the bottom of his foot cautiously. Baekhyun smiled slyly, recollecting his flowers and handing them one by one to Chanyeol and Kyungsoo on either sides of him.

They had on their hands twenty feet worth of tied up grass and flowers in a chain before Jongdae realized there were no more flowers left around them. “We can’t just make it entirely grass,” he said, sounding a bit disappointed. “Twenty feet seems long enough to me,” Sehun said, tying the last few flowers to the chain. It lay limply over their laps, going around the group twice. Kyungsoo made a conscious effort not to squash it between his legs by accident.

“Is twenty feet long enough to make us look like a group of cool hippies?” Luhan questioned Baekhyun flippantly.

“It’s twenty feet too long in my opinion,” Kyungsoo said flatly. Luhan tutted at him. “Someone’s surly after working so hard to tie little blades of grass together. Don’t worry, Kyungsoo, we’re going to go home soon and you can do anything you want to my brother,” Luhan said, reaching over to pat him on the head. That made Kyungsoo’s face turn red.

“My New Year’s resolution is to let my brother and you have your way with each other. You wanna know why?” Luhan said lightly.

Kyungsoo shook his head. “Well, I’ll tell you. I approve of your relationship with my brother now,” Luhan smiled. “So you didn’t approve before this?” Kyungsoo asked stiffly. If his previous behaviour was disapproving, then he didn’t want to know what he’d be like once they were all really living together.

“When you went into the forest with my brother, I knew you were the one for him,” Luhan said, sighing happily. Everyone looked at Kyungsoo incredulously while he fingered the chain nervously, pretending he didn’t know what Luhan meant although it was very clear, he meant a ramble in the bushes.

“Wow. I don’t think this can top what Luhan just said but why don’t we all share our New Year resolutions together?” Chanyeol said slowly. Kyungsoo gave him a grateful glance. Chanyeol winked at him.

Sehun regarded them with a bland expression. “Can I start?” he said softly. Chanyeol motioned for him to go on.

“My resolution is to be a better spell caster,” he said, almost in embarrassment. “You’re okay,” Baekhyun said, lifting an eyebrow at him. Sehun squared his shoulders. “I think I could do better.”

“Definitely,” Jongdae said, a sardonic smile on his face. “Luhan, we already heard yours. What about you, Baekhyun?”

“Hmm,” he tapped his chin. “I haven’t actually thought of one yet but I think becoming a better spell caster sounds good. And also to be more creative in the bedroom,” he added. Kyungsoo shuddered inwardly, and Baekhyun gave him a hard whack on the arm.

“Next, Jongdae,” Baekhyun said, leaning back on his arms.

Jongin wasn’t back yet, and that made Kyungsoo wonder if he was working a little too hard just to find vegetables for them to eat _. Seems like a whole lot of effort for someone who doesn’t deserve it,_ Kyungsoo thought, feeling his mood dip back down to zero. He had only just managed to put it out of his mind.

“Kyungsoo, your turn,” Chanyeol said, snapping his fingers in front of him. He jerked backwards in surprise and blinked.

“Already?” he said. He didn’t even hear Jongdae’s resolution.

Chanyeol nodded. Jongdae and Sehun looked very casual, but Kyungsoo thought Jongdae looked cross with him, for the way his lips were tightly sealed. _Stop spacing out,_ _Kyungsoo_! He told himself.

“Um,” Kyungsoo said eloquently, finger combing his fringe nervously. “I—I don’t have a resolution,” he stuttered. Luhan sighed loudly. “Everyone has one though! Are you sure there’s nothing you can think of?”

 _Aside from the way I’m betraying your brother?_ Kyungsoo thought. _Nope, I’m coming up blank._

“Maybe um… Oh, I don’t know. Be honest with the people I love?” Kyungsoo said without thinking. Sehun gave him a curt look. “Yep,” Kyungsoo nodded laconically. “Honesty, man.”

“That’s actually pretty good,” Jongdae said without looking at him. Kyungsoo wasn’t surprised he said that. “Is it?” he asked.

“I think sometimes we all just want the people we love to see us at our best. Sometimes we hide the ugly truth, even though we think it won’t hurt the people we love just ‘cause they don’t know it’s there,” Jongdae said, sounding very nonchalant, but Kyungsoo sensed it was a jab at him.

“I agree with you,” Luhan said, pointing a finger and wriggling it at Jongdae. “But the truth has to come out, sooner or later,” Luhan nodded wisely, leaning on Sehun’s shoulder. Sehun’s mouth twitched into a smile.

They were silent for a few moments before Jongdae slapped his thighs and looked around at all of them. “Since the chain is done, anyone wanna help me with the tent?” he asked. Baekhyun put up his hand. “I’ve never done it before,” he said, and got to his feet. Jongdae gave him a weird look which Kyungsoo could sense, rather than see even with his sunglasses on.

“That’s a reason for you to sit down then.”

“Kyungsoo has never done it before too,” Baekhyun protested. Jongdae seemed to pause before he got up and said, “Okay then, both of you can help me. The rest of you can guard the chain and make sure my grass twisting efforts don’t go to waste,” Jongdae ordered them. Luhan and Sehun looked happy to rest for a while, but Chanyeol looked like he wanted to join Baekhyun instead.

“Clear the fire, will you?” Baekhyun said to him. He got up and went to the logs around the fire at once, bending over to push the logs aside for space. Kyungsoo pulled himself up, dusting the bits of greenery off his pants.

Jongdae came close to him abruptly and clamped a hand over his arm, pulling him towards the tents. Kyungsoo sputtered, almost tripping over his feet as he tried to keep up with Jongdae.

“What—”

“We need to speak to you,” Jongdae said softly. Baekhyun lifted an eyebrow at him, trailing along beside Kyungsoo.

“We?”

“Yes, we,” Jongdae muttered, releasing Kyungsoo to climb into the tent, and motioned for him to come in. Kyungsoo and Baekhyun crawled in, a little bewildered by Jongdae’s behaviour. Evidently, Baekhyun didn’t know what was going on either.

“Kyungsoo, you need to get your shit together,” Jongdae stated firmly, folding his arms across his chest. “What?” Baekhyun said loudly. Jongdae gave him a cold look to keep quiet.

“You were spacing out, you suddenly brought up _honesty_ in front of all the others… Are you trying to get our covers blown?” Jongdae said crossly, taking off his sunglasses. Baekhyun placed a hand over Kyungsoo’s.

“Nobody’s going to suspect anything from that—”

“They will if Kyungsoo keeps this up,” Jongdae hissed, trying to keep his voice down. Kyungsoo sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I know, Jongdae, and I’m sorry—”

“You were the one who wanted this! Can you have some consideration for the people you’ve involved? Kai might not put you under execution if he hears about this, but there’s every chance it could happen to us,” Jongdae scolded.

“I know and I’m sorry, Jongdae, but it’s hard to keep this a secret from him,” Kyungsoo protested. Jongdae rolled his eyes. “It didn’t look very hard when you came to us last night,” he snapped.

Baekhyun glared at Jongdae. “Hey. Don’t push Kyungsoo around. Nobody’s suspected anything yet; it’s only the first day, alright? I’ll be with Kyungsoo if it’ll get him to talk more and set you at ease, but you don’t have to snap at us,” Baekhyun defended. Jongdae pursed his lips.

Kyungsoo squeezed Baekhyun’s fingers tightly in thanks. At least someone was sure about all of this. “Whatever, just do what you think is appropriate but by all means this _cannot_ get out to Kai. I actually like my head where it is,” Jongdae said, pointing at his neck.

“I’ll do what I can,” Baekhyun nodded. Jongdae looked like he still had a lot to say from the way his jaw was clenched and Kyungsoo spoke up, not wanting to cause unnecessary friction between them. He was, after all, going to be the main person to cast the spell.

“I’m really sorry I didn’t try any harder, Jongdae, you have to believe me,” Kyungsoo said as sincerely as he could manage, holding out a hand to him. Jongdae looked at him with a conflicted gaze.

“Well, you should be. God knows Europe still needs someone to get it back on track and _you_ might die from this. You’re my friend too, y’know, and I don’t want to mess any of this up just because you can’t keep it together.” Jongdae took his hand and pulled Kyungsoo towards himself, bumping their shoulders together.

“You’re right, I should’ve thought more about you guys, that was pretty selfish and narrow minded of me, and I promise I’ll do better and not space out again, okay?” Kyungsoo said, trying to get Jongdae to calm down. He didn’t need another person to be angry at him about this whole thing; Kyungsoo on his own was enough.

“And thank you for leaving early to work on the spell. I know you’re a king and you’re busy but you took the time to do this for me…”

Jongdae patted his shoulder, nodding at him. “No big deal, alright? Now get out there and make sure you’re so normal that you could win an Oscar award,” Jongdae said. He moved away and motioned to the exit with his chin.

Kyungsoo smiled weakly. If he survived this week, he’d have to thank Jongdae for the much needed pep talk. It didn’t really work on him emotionally, but it did give him the extra boost of energy to go on. _If this goes bust, I’m not the only one going down,_ he thought, crawling out of the tent. _If this goes bust I won’t even be around to assess the damage I’ve done._

While clearing the tents, Jongin finally returned with wild potatoes, some leafy vegetables and even small fruits. Yixing, by some miraculous chance, actually brought a small pot with him (“Well, it is a camping trip,” he defended). With the pot, they cook up a hurried lunch once the other chores were done and sat around the fire one last time, making small talk and admiring the long chain they had made.

Kyungsoo didn’t have much of a chance to talk to Jongin while he washed the potatoes and put water over the fire to boil, but he did admire his body and the way he moved with such ease. He was reminded of when he first saw Jongin and how he fell so hard for his beauty and integrity. He had always been there for Kyungsoo and he had always kept every promise he had ever made to Kyungsoo.

 _Why can’t I do the same?_ Kyungsoo asked himself. Jongdae once said that the reason Kyungsoo kept hurting Jongin was because he knew in the back of his mind that Jongin would always, always forgive him for every mistake and believe that he’d never do it again.

Kyungsoo looked away, feeling tears starting to burn in his eyes. _Get it together, Kyungsoo, get it fucking together,_ he told himself, taking deep breaths. _This has to be the last time,_ he thought. _This is the last time I’ll ever hurt him, I swear to God. Please, God, give me a chance to work everything out with him when this is all over._

Baekhyun sat down beside Kyungsoo, putting an arm over him. “Everything alright?” he asked. Kyungsoo looked at him and nodded once, hoping his eyes weren’t red.

“Everything will work out, Soo. It always does,” Baekhyun whispered, giving him a comforting smile. Kyungsoo laughed half heartedly. “Will it?”

“You saved me once, Kyungsoo, and I won’t forget that. If anything goes wrong…” Baekhyun said, voice dropping low. “I’ll catch you if you fall.”

“What if I fall so fast no one can stop me?” Kyungsoo asked, almost mouthing the words. “I’m your best friend, Soo. I’m not just anybody,” Baekhyun smiled, giving a pat on the shoulder. Jongin took two potatoes in his hand, walking over to them.

“My love, would you like a sweet potato or a regular potato?” Jongin asked, sitting on Kyungsoo’s left while Baekhyun was on his right. Kyungsoo looked at the potatoes in his hand and took a purple, sweet potato. “Hey, you’re cool, right?” Baekhyun said, taking his arm away.

Kyungsoo nodded at him. “Very cool. Go on and feed Chanyeol,” he said, pushing him towards Chanyeol. Jongin looked at them closely as they interacted and Baekhyun walked away from them.

“Shall I…?” Jongin said, pointing at the potato in Kyungsoo’s hand. Kyungsoo shook his head, moving the hot potato away from Jongin’s reach. “I’m a big boy, I can peel the skin off on my own,” Kyungsoo said, laughing.

“You wound me, love,” Jongin pretended to say, mouth pouting slightly. Kyungsoo couldn’t resist a pouting Jongin even if he wanted to.

“But I can do it on my own,” Kyungsoo said, relenting just a little. Jongin reached for the potato, waving it over. “I will do it for you, love. It’s what I’m here for,” Jongin said lightly. Kyungsoo handed it to him grudgingly, watching him put aside his own potato and peel Kyungsoo’s first.

“Why are you starving to peel my damned potato? I’ll do yours and you do mine,” Kyungsoo said, reaching into his lap (dangerous, uncharted territory) and snatching his potato up without touching him. Jongin made a noise of protest but Kyungsoo shushed him, holding up a finger.

“I’ll do it for you, Jongin. It’s what I’m here for,” Kyungsoo said teasingly, picking at the thin skin. Jongin blushed slightly, giving Kyungsoo a shy smile. This _is the reason for all I do,_ Kyungsoo thought, smiling back at him. _It’s all for you and that smile, Jongin._

*

When lunch was over and done with, dusk came. Most of them didn’t have much to pack and were all ready at more or less the same time. Baekhyun conjured up a Portal with some help from Sehun when he forgot a few words, and the castle garden came into view through the bluish wormhole Baekhyun had created, looking like an ethereal magical secret garden in the sunset.

Kyungsoo couldn’t describe the relief he felt when he walked through the Portal with the flower chain around his neck (because Luhan wanted them to look like they’d been having a great time); he was relieved the trip was over, relieved he could finally sleep in a bed and relieved he could finally have a proper shower. The halls of the castle couldn’t appear fast enough as he made his way up the garden steps.

It was a bittersweet feeling however. Without backup, as in Jongdae, Sehun or Baekhyun lurking around for the next few days, Kyungsoo would have to truly hold everything in and not let a thing slip from his hands.

 _I should be happy with Jongin too_ , Kyungsoo thought, trudging through the hallways while Jongin stopped by the office to check up on kingdom affairs _. These are going to be my last few days with him, the last few that I_ know _I’ll have with him._

Kyungsoo greeted a few servants along the way, murmuring hello and returning their polite bows. They definitely looked much calmer than a few days ago; the Europeans must be gone from the castle gardens and from town. Their presence put the servants on edge for a while since they weren’t as open to Europeans as Kyungsoo was.  

“All right, lads, shall we do a head count just to make sure everyone is here?” Luhan called, clapping his hands loudly. They were standing restlessly at the entrance of the castle as the last of them trickled out of the Portal and walked up the garden steps to join the whole lot. Baekhyun shut the Portal once he stepped out, and looked around the castle with a smile.

Minseok counted all of them quickly, giving Luhan a thumbs up. “Oh, good, we’re all here then. That means the chain is still intact, so hand it over to Sehun or me now, and you can be on your way,” Luhan said, holding out his hands. Baekhyun entered the castle and flung the chain from his neck over Luhan’s neck and wound it around a few times.

“Rude,” Luhan muttered lightly. Kyungsoo stepped forward to put the chain in his hands, and so did Jongin, placing a hand around Kyungsoo’s waist while murmuring to a guard.

“What are you going to do with it?” Kyungsoo asked. He couldn’t think how one could utilize a twenty foot long flower-and-grass chain, but maybe Luhan could.

“I’ll put it up in my room like a spider web until it dries and make lovely bookmarks out of it,” Luhan said proudly, receiving the last loop of the chain before throwing it all at Sehun. He caught it nicely as if he had already expected it, a sour expression on his face.

“Well. Maybe I’ll stop by to see what it looks like,” Kyungsoo shrugged, and turned to look at Jongin.

“…and send it up to my chambers, if you please,” Jongin was saying to the guard. The guard gave a silent nod, and marched off to do Jongin’s bidding. “Are you ready to retire for bed, love?” Jongin asked, holding his hand and leading him down a hallway.

“I think I’ll sleep first before I bathe. Is that okay with you?” Kyungsoo asked. Without coffee around, he could hardly function on only a few hours of sleep. Jongin nodded. “I have some paper work to do anyway, love. Would you mind if I joined you in bed with all my papers?” he said.

“If I drool all over your papers, it’s not my fault,” Kyungsoo smiled, hugging Jongin’s arm and leaning on him heavily. They walked to their room like that, with Kyungsoo clinging to Jongin’s arm and Jongin with a stupid smile on his face.

“Home sweet heaven,” Kyungsoo said aloud, when he finally kicked his bedroom door open. The room was impeccably clean as always, and smelled like fresh linen sheets, lots of sunlight with a hint of Jongin. It felt like years since he last set foot here, on the soft carpet and saw the same old musty books in Jongin’s bookshelf. The room felt a little smaller too, after Kyungsoo was so used to the outdoors, but it felt like home nonetheless.

He dumped the bag down at his feet and launched himself at the bed, groaning into the soft mattress. Jongin pulled off Kyungsoo’s shoes for him, and fumbled around the room for a bit before he clambered onto the bed and pulled Kyungsoo into his arms.

“It’s lovely to be back, don’t you think, love?” he said softly. A draft blew the curtains back and Kyungsoo nodded, sighing happily. “When are your papers coming?” Kyungsoo mumbled.

“In a while, I suppose. Would you like some tea, my love?” Jongin asked, sitting up and jolting Kyungsoo by accident. “No… Unless you feel like feeding it to me mouth to mouth,” Kyungsoo said drowsily. He grabbed a pillow and wriggled away from Jongin, trying to pull at the covers to throw it over himself.

“It’d be too hot, love,” Jongin remarked, throwing back the cover for him. “Thanks,” he mumbled, putting his legs under the sheet.

“And I wasn’t serious about the tea. Unless of course, you really want to do it,” Kyungsoo said, holding out his hands at Jongin. Jongin inched closer to him, leaning down to give him a kiss. “You’re giving me so many signals, love, it’s hard to decide which one is real,” Jongin murmured, nibbling on his lower lip.

Kyungsoo laughed at that. “Bring up the tea if you want, then, and we’ll see if you can transfer hot tea from your mouth to mine,” he said, bringing a hand to the back of Jongin’s head and kissing him back. Jongin leaned his upper body over Kyungsoo, hot breath rushing into Kyungsoo’s mouth as he kissed Kyungsoo hard.

“I’m too tired to make out, Jongin, but you have permission to kiss me to sleep,” Kyungsoo said, kicking up a leg to hook it over Jongin’s body.

“I have work to do, love,” Jongin whispered, sucking on the corner of his mouth.

“And you have tea to feed me. Guess you’re really busy then,” Kyungsoo smiled, turning his head away.

“Ah, love, just a little more to get through the night—” Jongin lifted himself up over his arms and caught Kyungsoo as he tried to struggle away from Jongin, half laughing as he tried to find enough breath in his lungs to shout.

“Oh God, someone help me,” Kyungsoo laughed when Jongin pressed his lips to Kyungsoo’s neck, sucking at a spot. He pushed at Jongin half heartedly, feeling tingles all over as Jongin peppered kisses on his collarbone, pushing back his sweater to get at his naked skin.

“You said you had work to do,” Kyungsoo protested, squirming under Jongin’s kisses. “That can wait, my love,” Jongin muttered, reaching to tug the sheets away from Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo was almost excited enough to let Jongin have his way with him until there was a quiet knock on his door, and they stilled for a moment on the bed.

“Yes?” Jongin said distractedly.

“I have what you asked for, Master. May I have permission to come in?” the guard said through the door. Kyungsoo could tell Jongin was about to tell him to go away, but he pushed at Jongin’s chest and said loudly, “Yes, come in!”

Jongin gave him a wounded look. “You have work and I need to sleep anyway, Jongin,” Kyungsoo smiled, sitting up to kiss him apologetically on the lips. “Perhaps tonight then,” Jongin said suggestively, quirking an eyebrow at Kyungsoo. The guard pushed at the door and bowed, keeping his eyes on the stack of papers in his hands.

“If you still want me by then…” Kyungsoo held out his arms, falling back into the mattress. Jongin chuckled, taking the stack of papers from the guard and sending him off. “Master. Sire,” the guard said to the both of them without lifting his eyes from the ground and turned on his ankle, walking straight to the exit.

“So,” Kyungsoo said, hugging the pillow to himself. “Can I sleep in peace now?”

Jongin smiled, putting the papers down on the bed beside him and shifting to lean against the headboard. “I’ll wake you up before dinner, love.”

*

Kyungsoo dreamt he was floating in the sea, and was pulled up and out of the water by a pair of cold but strong hands.

He came out of the water dripping wet, but felt none of it as he stared at the pair of hands that had pulled him out of the sea. The hands were strikingly pale, a stark white against Kyungsoo’s slightly pinkish tone. He had seen these hands before.

Kyungsoo looked up and met the hard, red gaze of Yifan, still as beautiful as ever, unchanging and eternal like a god.

“Yifan…” Kyungsoo breathed, feeling fear coursing through his veins. They were at a field now, the skies above them a dull gray, and the grass at their feet a charred black.

He felt wide awake as he stared into his eyes, soul being scrutinized by his heavy, condemning gaze. Yifan released his hands slowly, white robes floating around him like ribbons.

“There’s a fine line between want and need, Kyungsoo,” he said, figure blurring out momentarily as he spoke. “What?” Kyungsoo blurted. What kind of sick dream was this?

“Don’t let go, Kyungsoo, or you might just fall,” Yifan murmured, gaze sly and cunning.

“Let go of what?” Kyungsoo said, furrowing his eyebrows. He wasn’t holding onto anything, as far as he knew.

“Don’t let go of love. I made the mistake of letting go, and here I am, lurking in your subconscious, watching you, waiting for you to come over to the other side,” Yifan said, brushing a hand over Kyungsoo’s cheek. Kyungsoo shuddered away from his touch, but was unable to move, his feet anchored to the ground from curiosity.

“You’re dead,” Kyungsoo said, voice steadier than he expected.

“Am I?” Yifan purred, snapping his fingers. His robes jerked forwards into a flurry of white and disappeared.

“How do you know I’m dead, Kyungsoo? You don’t even remember what you _did_ ,” Yifan’s voice echoed around the field. The wind blew hard abruptly, almost toppling Kyungsoo over his feet. He turned around and stood against the wind, squinting to see if Yifan was still around.

Yifan’s face came towards him from the skies, and his robes floated around him as if he was standing over a wind machine.

“I _know_ you’re dead. Why else would you be talking about letting go of love? I don’t have to remember to know you let Tao _die_ ,” Kyungsoo spat. Yifan’s figure blurred once more, and his gaze became hard once more, glaring at Kyungsoo.

“Well played, Kyungsoo. Very well played… Then you know why I’m standing here in this barren field, speaking to you. I am very much dead, just as you still live and breathe in Lycanfort,” Yifan said, sounding accusatory as he levelled a finger at Kyungsoo.

“But then you might not see why you are here with me,” Yifan said, sounding nonchalant. “All that work to kill me and here you are, standing on the edge of life and death,” he shrugged his shoulders. His eyes glowed bright red as he took a step towards Kyungsoo.

“You’re just a figment of my imagination. This is just a dream, and I’ll wake up soon. I don’t have to listen to what you have to say,” Kyungsoo said, breathing heavily. If he could just focus hard enough, then maybe he could fight his way out into consciousness.

“Then heed my words before you wake, Kyungsoo,” Yifan said gravely, letting the wind carry him up into the sky like a kite. His robes spun and danced around him as he floated like an angel. “If you choose to let go, Kyungsoo,” Yifan chuckled, a smile on his lips as his eyes closed shut.

“If you let go, I’ll be here waiting. Like you said, after all… I’m dead, aren’t I?” Yifan said, throwing his head back in laughter.

 _Is this hell?_ Kyungsoo thought, staring at Yifan. His figure blurred once more like a faulty projection, and flashes of a skeleton started to appear, like an entity within him. “Death awaits the better half of _de profeterte seg,_ Kyungsoo,” Yifan said, lifting his head up to look at Kyungsoo again, this time with a gleeful expression. Kyungsoo didn’t know if it was because the skeleton was grinning, but Yifan’s figure solidified once more, taking Kyungsoo by surprise.

 _“And I’ll be here the second you fall.”_    

There was a loud whoosh as Yifan put on a burst of speed and launched himself at Kyungsoo, pushing him backwards to the ground. The grey sky came into view as the ground fell away, and Kyungsoo finally found the strength to cry out in fear.

“ _Min kjærlighet!_ My love, wake up, you’re dreaming!” Jongin’s voice tore its way into Kyungsoo’s mind. He held on to it, the only thing that he knew was real. _He sounds like he’s afraid too_ , Kyungsoo thought.  Kyungsoo pried his eyes open, gasping for air as he stared up at the white curtains fluttering in the breeze.

“Love, are you alright? You were talking and then you started shouting all of a sudden,” Jongin’s voice murmured. Kyungsoo searched frantically for Jongin’s familiar face, his hands reaching out in the moonlight. A pair of hands, warm ones, released their hold on Kyungsoo’s shoulders and took Kyungsoo’s hands.

Kyungsoo sat up and placed his arms around Jongin, not caring that he was supposed to act completely normal. Yifan’s face loomed in the back of his mind, but as long as Jongin was here…

“Jongin, I’m scared,” Kyungsoo said shakily, gripping his clothes.

There were no tears to cry, but he felt shaken to the bone. “Of what, my love?” he replied, rubbing Kyungsoo’s back soothingly. “There’s nothing to be afraid of when I’m with you, love,” he said comfortingly, patting Kyungsoo back.

“I… I saw Yifan in my dream, Jongin, and he…” Kyungsoo gulped, remembering the words he had said. He wondered if he could ever get them out of his head, the words burned in his mind like a brand.

Jongin pulled back, caressing Kyungsoo’s hair and face gently while cooing at him. “It’s alright, love, it was just a dream,” he repeated. Kyungsoo tried to believe him, holding onto his words.

“You can tell me about it in the bath, love, will it make you feel better if we did that?” Jongin asked softly. _Oh right_ , Kyungsoo thought, glancing out of the window. It was already dark, and dinner would be served soon. “Okay,” Kyungsoo nodded. Jongin picked Kyungsoo up in his arms carefully, pressing his lips to Kyungsoo’s forehead.

In the hot spring, Jongin placed Kyungsoo down to undress and waited till he was done before they got in together. He held Kyungsoo’s hand like it was a fragile piece of glass, concern written all over his face as Kyungsoo chewed his lip nervously. Kyungsoo felt much better now that he was awake and that Jongin was here, but how would he go back to sleep? 

“What happened, love? Did you have a night terror?” Jongin asked softly. Kyungsoo wasn’t sure how he could tell Jongin about his dream. He’d already mentioned Yifan, so there was no way he could get out of that.

“It was Yifan… We were at a field, and it was all greyish,” Kyungsoo started slowly, already feeling fear clenching his chest as he thought about his dream.

“What did he do?” Jongin asked.

“Nothing. He just—” Kyungsoo stared into Jongin’s eyes. “He said that if I let go of—let go of love, I’d fall. And that he’d be there at the field, waiting for me,” Kyungsoo said, a tremor in his voice. Jongin looked at him with an unreadable expression.

“That… sounds like him,” Jongin said uncertainly. “But we made sure he was dead, love, and his ashes have been scorched in a fire already, to ensure he would never rise again. What you saw, love, was not him,” Jongin said firmly.

“I didn’t doubt that he was dead for a second, Jongin, it’s just—” Kyungsoo cut himself, choking on his words. “Maybe if I die, Yifan will be waiting for me on the other side, Jongin. Maybe it’s his spirit or something, and he’s trying to tell me that I might die if I try to change who I am.”

Jongin placed a hand over Kyungsoo’s neck, brushing his thumb across his skin. “But, love, vampires don’t have spirits,” Jongin said softly, barely audible over the sound of bubbling water. “It couldn’t have been him, love.”

Kyungsoo still couldn’t get what Yifan had said out of his head, even if it wasn’t really him. There had to be a reason why his dream scared him so much. “Then was it my subconscious trying to warn me? Because I want to be with you, Jongin, and I don’t want to die on you—” Kyungsoo cut himself off, stopping short of revealing his secret. He placed a hand over his mouth, feeling tears building in his chest.

Jongin looked alarmed when Kyungsoo’s expression changed into one of sadness. “Oh, love, don’t cry,” he said, placing both hands on either sides of his face. Kyungsoo felt so helpless in that split second, unable to tell Jongin what he truly felt about his dream and unable to tell him why it affected him so badly.

“Love…” Jongin said, sounding sad and confused. He couldn’t understand why Kyungsoo was crying, that much Kyungsoo could tell, but it broke Kyungsoo’s heart to see that he was willing to try. 

“I’m fine, Jongin, I’m okay, just—” Kyungsoo broke off, letting Jongin hug him to his chest and hushing him gently.

“You don’t usually cry over your dreams, my love,” Jongin murmured, pouring warm water down his back in an attempt to soothe him with more than just words. _I don’t usually keep big secrets from you either,_ Kyungsoo thought, biting down on his sobs. He hated the way he couldn’t hold himself together anymore when it came things concerning Jongin, hated how he was hurting him without Jongin realizing it.

“I want to be with you, Jongin,” Kyungsoo whispered fervently, nails sinking into his skin. Hot tears rolled down his cheeks, some dripping on Jongin’s back and some joining the hot spring.

“I know, my love, I know,” Jongin hushed him, rocking him slowly in his arms till Kyungsoo’s breathing finally slowed. _He must think I’m crazy for overreacting like this,_ Kyungsoo thought, feeling angry with himself. It didn’t help the situation that he couldn’t tell Jongin about anything, but he was definitely compelled to.

Then maybe he wouldn’t want to understand why Kyungsoo had that dream. _It has to be some kind of dark premonition,_ Kyungsoo thought forlornly. Where was Jongdae when he was needed?

It suddenly occurred to Kyungsoo that maybe he couldn’t tell Jongin about everything and he certainly couldn’t help Kyungsoo, but perhaps… Perhaps someone else could. Someone else who knew what was going on, and wouldn’t necessarily choose the safest explanation, someone who wasn’t afraid of hurting Kyungsoo.

Kyungsoo released Jongin, running a hand through his hair in frustration. “Are you alright?” Jongin asked, lifting his chin up. Now that Kyungsoo might have an explanation, yes, he was starting to feel much better. He nodded, fingering the necklace around his neck.

Jongin smiled tentatively, wiping the last of his tear tracks away with a hand. “You still look beautiful, love, even after shedding so many tears,” Jongin whispered, running a finger over his bottom lip.

“Jongin,” Kyungsoo started, holding his hand and pressing it to his face. “I—I know that was… horrible, and you probably think I’m losing my mind—”

“I don’t think so, love. I’m only awed by the fact that you are still here with me even when your dream was good enough a reason to make you leave,” Jongin murmured, gazing at him lovingly. _This love,_ Kyungsoo thought, _I want it even if it’ll hurt me to have it._

“A-Anyway, um,” Kyungsoo bit his lip, wondering if it was alright to go on. Jongin looked at him expectantly. “Yes?”

 _Just go for it since he still wants you_ , Kyungsoo’s instinct said, and he went on uncertainly, thinking very carefully of the next words out of his mouth.

“Jongin, even if that dream was… the way it was, I still. I _want_ to be here, Jongin, I hope you believe me. Even if that dream reoccurs for the next few days, weeks, months until we find something that’s safe for us, I won’t change my mind, Jongin. I’ll never leave you,” Kyungsoo said sincerely. Jongin couldn’t possibly have guessed what Kyungsoo meant behind those words under the surface meaning, but maybe he knew Kyungsoo far too well.

“That was very resolved of you to say, my love,” he said slowly. “Who knows how bad your dreams will get if it goes on?” he asked. _It won’t_ , Kyungsoo thought. Not for long. Jongin would know soon enough, that was for sure. “I’ll try not to be a crying mess every time I dream of something,” Kyungsoo said, bringing his face close to Jongin’s lips.

“It is not about your tears, love, it is what _brings_ you to tears that I’m concerned for,” Jongin said, breathing ghosting over Kyungsoo’s skin. _I can’t tell you why,_ Kyungsoo thought, trying to convey his thoughts through his eyes.

_It’s not that I don’t want to, Jongin, you have to believe me when I say this._

“Are we rushing things, love? Do you feel… pressured?” Jongin asked, frowning. Kyungsoo shook his head, laughing in disbelief. It was so like Jongin, to always feel like he was at fault. Kyungsoo didn’t know where royals got their nobility, but it made him love Jongin despite everything.

“I haven’t exploded yet, Jongin. I’m fine,” Kyungsoo reassured him, pecking him on the lips. “I’m sure we’ll know if you do,” Jongin teased, and Kyungsoo knew he had made Jongin think that everything had blown over. How wrong he was, and how he’d feel hurt, Kyungsoo could only imagine.

*

They both joined the rest for dinner once they were dressed and ready to go. Luhan and Chanyeol were already halfway through their meal while Sehun and Baekhyun had their feet up on the table, sipping at tall champagne flutes.

Kyungsoo came in first and saw their feet on the table, eyes widening at the audacity to put their dirty feet up in front of Luhan. He stopped in his tracks and glared at them when they glanced up at him while Jongin bumped into Kyungsoo’s back.

Sehun and Baekhyun swung their feet off the table and pretended to stand up, greeting Kyungsoo and Jongin warmly as if this was their first time dining together.

 _What the fuck?_ Kyungsoo tried to say through his eyebrows. Baekhyun didn’t get it and said, “Kyungsoo are you trying to send me a message by dot-and-dash code with your eyebrows, ‘cause I haven’t learnt that yet,” he squinted. Kyungsoo pursed his lips and made sure Baekhyun felt bad without knowing why.

“Sorry if we held up your meal, Luhan, Chanyeol,” Jongin nodded at them, taking a seat. Thank God he didn’t notice the bits of dirt Sehun and Baekhyun brushed away casually to the ground with a large sweep of the arm. Kyungsoo sat down beside Jongin and drummed his fingers over the smooth surface of the table, looking around expectantly for a servant to stop by.

“’S alright. What held you guys up?” Luhan asked instead, using a napkin to dot at his chin. Kyungsoo noticed a half eaten medium rare rib eye steak on his plate and his mood lifted slightly.

“Kyungsoo slept while I did some paperwork. Time went by without me realizing it was dinnertime,” Jongin said calmly, without a hitch. Kyungsoo was relieved Jongin chose not to bring his dream up; it wasn’t something he felt like he could share with the rest of them, all at once.

“So Yixing went home for the night?” Kyungsoo asked Luhan, deliberately trying to steer the subject away from why they were late. Luhan took the bait and nodded, stabbing a piece of broccoli and eating it. “He might stop by in a few days. Jongdae left already too. Said to send an eagle if anyone needed him,” Luhan said.

Kyungsoo sensed that little bit of information probably did not apply to him; Jongdae _did_ say he would be the one to reach out first. He nodded along anyway, pretending to know nothing. Someone must’ve noticed them walking to the dining hall, because a few seconds later, a servant entered the hall with a large tray of food.

“Kyungsoo, you should try the chilli sauce, it’s _killer_ ,” Chanyeol said excitedly, pointing at small puddle of orangey, slightly watery yet pasty sauce beside the steak on Kyungsoo’s plate. His lips were red and so were the tips of his ears.

“Oh yeah? How hot is it?” Kyungsoo asked, thankful that there was still empty conversation to be had. Anything to keep them from wondering too much about why they took so long, and to keep Jongin’s mind distracted.

Kyungsoo ate the steak without much difficulty; it wasn’t as spicy as Chanyeol made it out to be. He only took a small sip of water when the sauce went down the wrong pipe, but Chanyeol downed his entire glass while eating the steak. It was funny to see how neither of them really changed fundamentally, but they were so different from a mere few weeks ago.

In fact, now that Kyungsoo thought about it, he had only been with Jongin for a few weeks. With the way Kyungsoo wanted to go through with the spell so desperately, it was probably equivalent to eloping with Jongin and getting married in Las Vegas.

 _Maybe we_ are _rushing things_ , Kyungsoo thought, stifling a small smile by drinking water. Kyungsoo wondered if this was what Jongin meant by rushing with everything. Mates or not, they had been through a war, a few pass outs between them and now, a potentially deadly spell that could close the gap between their lifespans or tear them apart. It certainly didn’t _feel_ like a few weeks with Jongin. Surely that counted as something?

“So guys,” Luhan said, clapping his hands once to grab their attention. “Now that the camping trip is over—”

“Please don’t say you have something else already planned,” Kyungsoo moaned, putting his hands to his face. Luhan looked affronted that Kyungsoo would say that. “If you’d hear me out, you’d be dying to join in,” he huffed, folding his arms.

“Well, what is it then? We’ll hear it, and if it’s terrible, Kyungsoo, Chanyeol and I will shoot it down,” Baekhyun chirped.

Kyungsoo made a gun with his hand and pointed it at Baekhyun. “I like that idea.”

“Ugh, the audacity…” Luhan mumbled something incoherently under his breath. Sehun wisely chose not to say anything. “Anyway, I was just thinking that maybe we could all go to town together on New Year’s Eve in a carriage, and give the people a little something to tizzy and fuss about,” Luhan said with a charming smile.

“Oh. Is that it? Then that’s okay,” Kyungsoo said, shrugging. Publicity meant something to Jongin and Luhan after all.

“Also, I was thinking we could gather around some time these few days and make those little paper lanterns together,” Luhan added hurriedly. Jongin slammed a hand on the table. “Is that what they’re called?” he asked Luhan.

Luhan gave him a nod and frowned at him. “Didn’t you know?”

“The term escaped me this morning,” Jongin shrugged, settling back into his seat. Kyungsoo patted his hand. “I got it, don’t worry,” he assured him.

Luhan looked at them expectantly. “Are you up for it then? Yixing and Jongdae make lovely lanterns, and incidentally, Sehun used to make paper lanterns for the upper class Europeans. Go on and tell them,” Luhan nudged him.

Kyungsoo snorted. “I thought you said waiter,” he said, lifting an eyebrow at Sehun. He rolled his eyes, putting his empty glass down. “Yifan used to force everyone working for him to make lanterns for Tao to choose from. Tao gave mine a second glance; that was all. He didn’t choose mine in the end, but some pompous woman picked my lantern up just because Tao approved of it somewhat.”

“What did you make?” Kyungsoo asked.

“A dragon. Wasn’t easy,” Sehun sighed. “Especially when I realized it couldn’t hold a candle. That was probably why Tao didn’t choose it.”

Kyungsoo and Baekhyun laughed. Sehun’s past certainly was colourful.

“Oh wow, Sehun, I can’t believe you had to serve Yifan and make lanterns. What else did you do that might be interesting?” Baekhyun said, widening his eyes and batting his eyelashes at him. Sehun pushed his face away.

“I could help make the lanterns for you, if you want something elaborate,” Sehun said, turning to the rest of them.

“I want to make my own. Can you teach me to make something simple?” Kyungsoo asked. Luhan clapped his hands excitedly. “So it’s a wonderful idea, then? Shall I inform the others?” his flailed under the table and kicked Jongin’s shin by accident.

Jongin jolted but held back from kicking Luhan in return. Kyungsoo wondered if he had to give in to Luhan like this since they were young. “Go ahead and inform them, I guess. Why not do it in the morning on New Year’s Eve?” Kyungsoo suggested.

“What if I don’t like what Sehun makes and he has to fold me a new one?” Luhan retorted. “I’ll see when Jongdae and Yixing can stop by and I’ll inform you soon. Now, I have a foot massage appointment, and I cannot miss it,” Luhan said, pushing back his seat. Sehun did the same, and Luhan gave a flirty little wave before leaving the hall with Sehun trailing after him loyally.

“Nobody told me there were foot massages available here,” Kyungsoo said flatly, turning to Jongin. “Sehun does it for Luhan,” Baekhyun informed.

“Is it a vampire thing? Can _you_ give foot massages?” Kyungsoo asked. “No, but I can crush your leg. Would you like me to try?” Baekhyun replied. Kyungsoo flicked some sauce at him from his plate. “Jongin, I need to beat up Baekhyun, so could you leave us and I’ll look for you in an hour?” Kyungsoo said smoothly.

Jongin was surprised, but said okay. “I still have paperwork, so perhaps you can occupy your time with someone else, love?” he said, getting out of his seat and brushing a hand over Kyungsoo’s face. “Yeah, beating Baek up is gonna be fun now that he’s a vampire,” Kyungsoo said, waving him away.

Jongin left like a lovesick puppy, watching them and moving to the exit backwards until he couldn’t see them anymore.

“Baekhyun, we have something important to discuss,” Kyungsoo said once Jongin was gone. Baekhyun shook his head, pointing at the wall. “He’s still here,” he mouthed.

“It’s important but it’s not that important,” Kyungsoo said loudly. He thought he heard footsteps walking away after that. “Is he gone?” Kyungsoo whispered. Baekhyun nodded. “Right. Good, now Chanyeol, you need to take a bath,” Kyungsoo said, motioning for him to get up.

“Do I?” Chanyeol asked in confusion. Baekhyun stood and waved at him with his arms. “You do. You stink, I don’t want to sleep with you tonight if you don’t shower, go, go,” Baekhyun said half heartedly. Chanyeol was shooed out of the hall as well, and that left Baekhyun and Kyungsoo in the hall alone.

“What is it?” Baekhyun asked, lifting an eyebrow at Kyungsoo. He suspected Baekhyun thought it was probably about the spell, but really, Kyungsoo’s dream was just too vivid to put into a box and push it into a corner. “Are you any good at dream interpretations?” Kyungsoo responded.

“I’ll go get my book,” Baekhyun replied.

*

“What kind of dream is _that_?” Baekhyun said loudly, arm propping his head up as he leaned sideways on the bed to face Kyungsoo.

“Why do you think I’m here telling you about it?” Kyungsoo snapped, leaning back on a pile of pillows. Baekhyun and Kyungsoo were in his room, newly decorated with flowers and porcelain figurines of birds, waterfalls, cherubs and even more flowers scattered all around the room. Kyungsoo was afraid if he breathed too hard in the room that the porcelain figurines would topple over and break, but Baekhyun didn’t seem to mind.

“It’s for practice, so that Chanyeol and I can be more graceful and shit,” Baekhyun said, nodding like it was a perfectly normal thing to have three cabinets of fragile items in a single room. Not to mention, a bedroom. Then again, Kyungsoo wasn’t studying to become an interior designer.

Kyungsoo didn’t comment, but got on the bed and told him everything while he fumbled around for a large and worn book. When he found it, he got on the bed too and was staring at Kyungsoo with a dumbfounded expression.

“How am I supposed to interpret your dream? It was so scary I can’t even pick out anything important,” Baekhyun exclaimed. Kyungsoo rolled his eyes. “You have the book, check it and see if there’s a spell you can do or whatever.”

“Nope, not really. There are spells to induce certain dreams, spells to influence you, but not a spell that clarifies whatever dream you have or had,” Baekhyun said, going through the contents. Kyungsoo sighed, hugging a soft pillow to himself.

If Baekhyun couldn’t help, then who could? Will the dream come back tonight? “You know, dreams are from our subconscious. Maybe it’s just your own guilty conscience for keeping everything from Kai,” Baekhyun said.

“Then why did it have to be Yifan saying all of that? Is it my intuition trying to tell me that this isn’t a good idea?” Kyungsoo asked, even though Baekhyun couldn’t really give him an answer.

“Well, maybe you associate Yifan with death. Every time he comes around people drop dead, I don’t know if you’d noticed.”

 “Remember the war though? I still have no real recollection of how Yifan died,” Kyungsoo said, looking at Baekhyun thoughtfully. “Maybe I’m the real reason he died, and even if… I don’t remember it, I feel guilty about it somehow.”

“He wasn’t exactly a saint, Kyungsoo, don’t feel bad—”

“But I’ve never killed someone before,” Kyungsoo cut in. Baekhyun sighed, sitting upright. “Or, Kyungsoo, you could just be afraid of death. And yeah, sure, maybe you feel guilty about killing Yifan, so that could be why he was the only person you saw in your dream. He’s the only person worth being scared of on the other side.”

That sparked something in Kyungsoo’s memory. “Y’know, Jongin said that vampires don’t have spirits,” Kyungsoo said softly.

Baekhyun snorted at him. “Yeah, and I don’t have an older brother.”

Kyungsoo blinked at his reaction. The conviction in his voice was hard to miss. “You mean there’s a confirmation of the other side?”

Baekhyun shook his head. “No, not that I’ve heard of. I just meant it like… us, vampires, humans, werewolves. We’re all really the same. I think we just go to the same place in the end, and maybe some of us wind up in hell, or if we’re lucky; heaven. Who’s to say heaven’s only for humans, y’know?” he laughed.

Kyungsoo thought about that quietly. It _had_ to be just a dream. In essence, there was no real reason for Yifan to haunt him if it was the real guy, because wouldn’t Tao be on the other side too? All he might’ve wanted in the end was to be with him, not take revenge.

‘You’re right, Baekhyun. It was probably just a bad nightmare, right?” Kyungsoo said. Baekhyun nodded, ruffling his own hair up. “If Yifan wanted to hurt you, he probably would’ve done it,” Baekhyun said. Kyungsoo knew Baekhyun was right, and it soothed the heavy weight on his chest.

“I cannot believe how wise you’ve gotten since you became a vampire. Okay, so now,” Kyungsoo held up a hand. Baekhyun looked at him curiously. “Could you repeat the first sentence again?”

“No.”

“Just once, I don’t think I heard you correctly—”

“You did, and you will never hear it again. D’you have pen and paper here?” Kyungsoo asked, looking around his room. Baekhyun got up to get it for him. “Why? Do you have a great vinaigrette recipe you wanna share with me?” Baekhyun asked as he pulled open a drawer and took out a few sheets of paper and a feather.

“Don’t you have a regular pen?” Kyungsoo grimaced at the black feather, its tip sharpened to a point. He wouldn’t have minded using a feather except that it meant having to grind his own ink.

“Relax, Chanyeol left some ink for me,” Baekhyun smiled, motioning for him to get down from the bed. “Could you write on the floor, I don’t want you getting ink on my sheets,” Baekhyun said. In his hand, he held a pot of ink, all grinded up and ready to use. It was a dark navy blue, and Kyungsoo got down from the bed as instructed gingerly and laid flat on his stomach, snatching paper from Baekhyun.

“I’m gonna write Jongin the letter I mentioned last night. You’ll have to keep it in your room where Chanyeol won’t think to check though,” Kyungsoo said. “I told him about your thing though,” Baekhyun said nonchalantly.

Kyungsoo looked up at him with the feather’s point levelled at his face.

“It was an accident! He asked me, ‘Hey Baek baby, whatcha working on?’ And then it just came out before I even realized it! Don’t kill me, he’s not going to tell anyone—”

“What if Jongin hears about it from him? He’ll come back all bruised and battered, and then I’ll have to go at him too—” Baekhyun put a hand over his mouth. “I told him not to tell anyone. He says its cool, and he didn’t even bring it up today. I’m telling ya, he’s forgotten about it,” Baekhyun said, trying to reassure him while keeping a careful eye on his feather.

Kyungsoo glared daggers at him. “I know, Kyungsoo. If he tells anyone, we’re dead to you! Don’t have to give me the evils,” Baekhyun sulked, taking his hand away. Kyungsoo stared up at him.

“Anything else to add?” Kyungsoo asked.

“I’m sorry,” Baekhyun said petulantly, getting down on his knees and lying on his stomach across Kyungsoo. The paper lay between them, and Kyungsoo dipped the feather into the ink pot. “Good. Now, we need to make sure it comes across as sincere, so… how do you think I should start it off?” Kyungsoo asked, rubbing a hand over the rough paper distractedly.

“Um… ‘What’s up, sexy?’”

“I don’t call him ‘sexy’.”

“What’s up… babe?”

Kyungsoo covered his face with a hand. “This is supposed to be a goodbye letter.”

Baekhyun pursed his lips, thinking hard. “Dear Kai—”

“Dear _Jongin_ ,” Kyungsoo said aloud, scribbling at the top of the paper. “Dear Jongin, if you’re reading this blah blah blah?”

Baekhyun shook his head. “Sounds so typical. Go for something like… like… Ooh. This is hard,” Baekhyun said, scratching his head with a finger. If the dream was planning on coming back to haunt Kyungsoo tonight, it was gonna have to wait. This is gonna be a long night, Kyungsoo thought, looking down at the paper with only two words on it.

-

It took Kyungsoo more than an hour just to put a secret, heartfelt letter for Jongin. In fact, it took three hours of putting the right words together, laughing at dumb spelling mistakes and finally, rewriting the entire thing out again on another piece of paper. 

Kyungsoo told Baekhyun to hide it properly once it was dried and folded thrice. He winked back at Kyungsoo, telling him not to worry.

“I have a spot where no one except Chanyeol can check. Don’t worry about it,” Baekhyun said, winking and nudging him in the ribs. Kyungsoo rolled his eyes but hugged him in thanks. Baekhyun could’ve said no, but here he was, conspirator in crime. “You’re a good friend, Baek. You really are.”

“I thought I was a best friend,” he said blankly, hugging Kyungsoo back.

“Don’t think I didn’t see what you and Luhan wore that time. I might not forgive you for that,” Kyungsoo said, clenching his hands into fists and hitting Baekhyun’s back lightly.

“Aw, come on, he’s just a fashion best friend. You’re _the_ best friend,” Baekhyun cajoled. Kyungsoo was tempted to cry and get emotional with him, but that wasn’t him with Baekhyun. It was Baekhyun’s job to cry more tears than Kyungsoo at the end of the day, and he wasn’t about to change that.

 Kyungsoo went back to his room, pushing the door open and peeking in to see if Jongin was asleep yet. The room was still lit with candles, and Jongin was bent over at his desk, reading something so carefully he didn’t Kyungsoo come in.

“Jongin?” Kyungsoo sang, walking on his tip toes to Jongin’s side. He looked up at Kyungsoo, a gentle smile on his face. His eyes looked sore and tired from reading.

“Hello, love. Would you like me to blow out the candles for you to retire?” Jongin asked, putting down his feather. Kyungsoo caressed his face. “You look tired, Jongin, shouldn’t you sleep too?” he asked, feeling slightly guilty about the letter he had written only mere minutes ago.

“I have some work to finish before New Year’s Eve so we can spend more time together, my love,” Jongin said, holding his hands. Kyungsoo glanced at the papers, strings and strings of words printed in neat rows all over. “If you want to stay up then go ahead. Just come back and snuggle with me before dawn,” Kyungsoo said, leaning down to kiss Jongin carefully on the lips.

Jongin hummed a reply, kissing him back. “I’ll join you soon, I promise,” he said. Kyungsoo held onto those words. He was a bit worried that his dream might come back, but if Jongin was there in the room then maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. _You’re not ten years old anyway, he’s not your fucking babysitter,_ Kyungsoo chastised himself.

The sheet were cool when Kyungsoo pulled them over his shoulder, but Jongin’s figure by the bed made it feel just that bit warmer. If there was one thing that Kyungsoo could be sure of, it was that he would never be truly alone, not in this world or the next. That thought gave him great comfort in his friends and new family.

*

Kyungsoo’s suggestion to fold lanterns on the morning of New Year’s Eve may have been shot down by Luhan, but at breakfast, Luhan was already hurrying around the castle, trying to get all the materials together on time for them to start making lanterns while Kyungsoo, Jongin, Yixing and Chanyeol sat at the dining table, watching Luhan fly in and out of the hall.

“Candles, candles, WE NEED CANDLES,” Luhan bellowed through the hallways, checking every room for spare candles. At least that was what it looked like to Kyungsoo.

“Can’t we just _buy_ the lanterns near the river?” Kyungsoo asked no one in particular, stirring his cup of hot chocolate.

“Only children buy them,” Jongin replied.

“What? Why? Lanterns are lanterns, whether you bought them or made ‘em yourself, no?” Kyungsoo said. Yixing shook his head from across him, sipping at some tea. “We like to make our own. Children only buy them because they make very pretty ones,” Yixing smiled.

He had arrived last night alone, informing Luhan that Jongdae couldn’t promise what time he could come to the festival, but promised that he _would_ be there. “Only means more work for you and Sehun,” Luhan had shrugged.

Kyungsoo then quickly told Yixing that if worse came to worst and if somehow there wasn’t enough time to make him a lantern, Kyungsoo would just fold a small paper boat and be done with it.

“Are candles really hard to get here anyway?” Kyungsoo asked, watching servants scurry around looking for candles while holding large piles of what looked like white cardboard.

“White candles are easy to get. Luhan always insists on using scented and colourful candles of different shapes and sizes every year,” Jongin said, shaking his head in disbelief. Kyungsoo snorted. “That’s unnecessary… What scents does he use, though?”

Jongin was rattling off with the names of all the scents Luhan had ever used over the past few years when Luhan came in the hall, sweat shining across his fair skin and his robes hanging limply by his sides. “Are you done with breakfast?” Luhan said breathlessly. A servant came in with a box and whispered to him before they could even think of a reply.

“Let me see the candles,” Luhan said to her, opening up the box. A whiff of potpourri caught Kyungsoo’s attention as Luhan counted the candles in the box.

“Eight, nine, ten. Okay then, put this at the front hall with everything else. Wake Sehun and Baekhyun up, will you?” he said to the servant. She gave a hurried yes sir and scampered out of the hall. Luhan smiled, putting his hands on his hips. “Finally, it’s all done now. Shall we?” he said to them. Kyungsoo wasn’t done with his pasta, and neither was Yixing done with his tea, but this was Luhan.

“Er, I’ll have my tea brought to the front hall or wherever,” Yixing said, picking up his pot of tea.

Luhan waved a hand at him. “Put the heavy looking thing down and have someone bring it there for you. Follow me and I’ll lead you to the front hall,” Luhan said grandly, skipping out of the hall while humming a cheerful song. Kyungsoo picked up as many pieces of pasta on his plate and shoved it all into his mouth before he stood up, his cheeks puffed up while he tried to chew. Who knew when he’d have his next meal?

Jongin took his hand while Yixing and Chanyeol walked ahead first. Kyungsoo’s dream hadn’t come back to haunt him yet so far, but the only real thing he was worried about was whether Jongdae had the spell ready or not. He had not reached out to Kyungsoo, covert or otherwise, for the last three days and it was starting to get him worried.

 _There’s no real hurry but…_ Kyungsoo hesitated in his thoughts. Jongdae _had_ to be working on the spell with Hongbin, there was no other reason for him to be late for the festival. _Maybe I’m just scared when he_ does _finally finish the spell._

Whenever that day was, it would be akin to throwing everything aside, feelings, worries, Jongin to get to Europe and have the spell cast over himself. There was no way he could prepare himself for that, but what other choice did he have? He glanced up at Jongin, who noticed him staring and smiled down at him.

“What do you plan on making, love?” he asked, lifting a finger to wipe away some sauce on Kyungsoo’s upper lip. Kyungsoo shoved his thoughts aside. “Um… I don’t know, flowers? A paper basket of paper flowers?” Kyungsoo said.

“You could just make a cylindrical lantern and write your wishes and resolutions over it,” Jongin suggested, licking his finger. Kyungsoo smiled, shaking his head. “That sounds lazy. I should make an effort if I want my wish to come true, right?”

They reached the front hall, just by the French glass doors leading to the castle gardens where a long table was set up. Arranged on the table were seven neat piles of stiff paper Kyungsoo had seen from before, and a set of utensils to go with the stiff paper. Up close he realized the cardboard wasn’t stiff paper, and touched one of it; it felt like piece of drawing block paper, but it was much thicker. A box sat on the bench, and Kyungsoo assumed it was where the candles were kept.

With the whole setup, the hall looked like a workshop for kids, except there wasn’t any glitter or sparkles among the utensils. Kyungsoo had a feeling that if Luhan knew what glitter and rhinestones were, he’d make his lantern out of all of that in a second.

“Take a seat, lovelies,” Luhan said, motioning to the bench behind the table. Kyungsoo and Jongin sat towards the end while the rest filled the seats in no particular order. Luhan sat down at the centre, rolling back his sleeves.

“Now that everything’s set up, let’s wait for Baekhyun and Sehun to come. Meanwhile, I want you lot to think about what to make first before you cut up anything up. It _is_ a commitment after all, to make a lantern and float it down a river for everyone to see,” Luhan said solemnly, digging out some tissues from his robes and dotting his sweat away.

If Kyungsoo knew Luhan was this serious about making lanterns, he’d have thought about this sooner. Yixing beside him was drumming his fingers thoughtfully on the table, holding out three fingers on one hand and looking at them thoughtfully.

“What are you gonna make?” Kyungsoo asked Jongin first. He shrugged. “Perhaps I’ll make a simple boat and decorate it with a bit of drawing on the side.”

“You can draw?” Kyungsoo asked, turning his body towards him. Jongin nodded. “A bit of sketching here and there,” he replied.

“Draw a resurrection lily for me then,” Kyungsoo said excitedly. Who knew the King of Lycanfort could draw? Certainly not Kyungsoo, even if he was sharing his bed. “I’ll draw it on my boat later. Luhan will murder us both if he sees me drawing things on the paper,” Jongin whispered. Kyungsoo pecked him on the cheek spontaneously, surprising him.

“I hate how you’re so cute, Jongin,” Kyungsoo said, patting his face. Jongin blushed furiously, looking away from Kyungsoo. He turned to Yixing then, and asked him the same question he had asked Jongin.

“I am trying to choose between an arrangement of flowers, a rabbit or a squirrel,” Yixing frowned, holding his three fingers out. Kyungsoo touched the tip of his middle finger. “I choose this one. What is it?” Kyungsoo asked.

“A rabbit. Should I make a rabbit then? A hopping one or a sitting one?” Yixing asked, hands automatically reaching for the stiff pieces of paper. Luhan slapped his hand. “Baekhyun and Sehun aren’t here yet,” he glared at Yixing.

“Sorry. Is a sitting rabbit or a hopping rabbit cuter?” Yixing asked Luhan. Luhan squinted and said, “Obviously a sitting one. If it’s hopping it means it’s going to be eaten.” Yixing looked sick when Luhan turned away.

“Er, a sitting rabbit is just cuter in so many ways,” Kyungsoo quickly interrupted Yixing’s thoughts.

“But we just had them for lunch the other day at the camp,” Yixing said, paling visibly. Kyungsoo hugged him roughly, hitting his back with a hand. “No one blames you! Make the rabbit,” Kyungsoo whispered in his ear. He released Yixing, and he looked shaky around the edges but he gulped and nodded, reaching for paper again.

“WHY IS IT SO HARD TO GET SOME DECENT SLEEP IN THIS PLACE?”

Baekhyun’s voice boomed in the wide hall, startling Yixing thoroughly. Kyungsoo looked at Baekhyun over Jongin’s shoulder, giving him a surly look when he met Kyungsoo’s gaze. His eyes were red (redder than usual) and watery as he shuffled over to the bench and sat down beside Chanyeol, leaning his head on his shoulder.

Sehun looked tired as well, but that was normal. He cleared his throat and entered the hall while Luhan said, “Finally, you both are here! Baekhyun, I hope you’ve decided on what lantern you’re going to make, or what you want Sehun to make. Sehun, my darling of epic proportions, I shall require you to make me a paper lantern in the shape of a Sun and Moon, combined together.”

Kyungsoo thought that was rather ambitious of Luhan. Sehun listened to Luhan’s demands closely while reaching for the paper, already opening it up to see how much he would need.

“I think I’m going to make some flowers. Can you teach me, Yixing?” Kyungsoo asked.

“I believe Kai knows how. I’ll help you if you want to make a certain kind of flower,” Yixing smiled, dimples appearing as he took a big piece of paper and folded it neatly in half. Kyungsoo turned back to Jongin and shoved some paper at him.

“Make some flowers with me,” Kyungsoo said. Jongin smiled sheepishly and took the pieces of paper, picking up a pair of very large, sewing scissors. “Cut the paper into strips first, love. We’ll use them as stems,” he said.

Kyungsoo went on to make small rolls of paper, dabbing a bit of glue on them to maintain its shape. Jongin made his boat first, folding the paper expertly in his hands and had a boat about the ten inches when he was done.

“Would you like something to put your paper flowers in, love?” Jongin asked. Kyungsoo nodded. “I want it to look like a bowl of flowers. I’ll stick a candle in the middle when we’re done.” Jongin started working on his bowl while Kyungsoo got up to get the candles.

“Do you want any kind of candle?” Kyungsoo asked Jongin. Jongin told him any candle should be fine, as long as it wasn’t too tall. Kyungsoo tugged the box of candles from Luhan’s side and rummaged through it, holding up a few to see if it would look nice on his lantern later.

“Oi, don’t break any of the candles! I haven’t thought about which one to use yet,” Luhan squawked at him. Kyungsoo ignored him and brought out a pink, long candle for himself, as well as a blue one in a small, aluminium casing for Jongin.

Kyungsoo was about to return to his seat when he saw Chanyeol’s lantern, or pieces of it. He had already folded a dozen paper cranes and was in the middle of folding a thirteenth crane when Kyungsoo asked him if he was planning on making a thousand of those in a day.

“Well, not a thousand, but enough to glue around a regular lantern and make it look like a collection of paper cranes,” Chanyeol laughed. Baekhyun was folding some too, although his own normal lantern was much smaller than Chanyeol’s. At least he was being realistic.

Jongin was almost done with Kyungsoo’s squared off bowl when Kyungsoo returned, which frankly looked like some kind of modern interpretation of the kind of fabric hats old ladies would usually wear out in the sun.

“Are you sure my flowers will look nice in that?” Kyungsoo asked, setting the candles down. “This is the usual shape one makes if one’s lantern has to contain flowers,” Jongin replied him, puzzled. As long as it would hold Kyungsoo’s flowers, he decided that it probably didn’t matter what it looked like.

“Okay then. Teach me how to make the head of flowers so that you can start drawing on your boat,” Kyungsoo said. Jongin set aside his bowl and taught him how to make a paper rose, showing him how to push the stems through the little hole at the bottom of the flower.

“Try it, love,” Jongin encouraged, putting down his own paper rose and handing him a new piece of paper to work on. With Jongin’s guidance, Kyungsoo folded a paper rose slowly, and was pleased with the results once he held up his own paper rose. “It’s pretty,” Kyungsoo remarked, putting his two roses into the bowl first to save space.

“I’m sure it will look even lovelier with some paint,” Jongin said warmly. Kyungsoo was starting to enjoy himself with all this origami, and made two more paper roses before he asked Yixing what other flowers he could do.

“I can make you a resurrection lily, but it will take time,” Yixing said. “Oh, you don’t have to make it for me, just teach me—”

“It doesn’t require so much folding as it does skills with a pair of scissors. How many do you want? I can make you two or three, I suppose, to go with your roses,” Yixing said. Kyungsoo nodded and said three sounded alright with him.

Yixing’s rabbit was almost done, to Kyungsoo’s surprise, and in exchange for the flowers, he made square box to put into the cavity of the rabbit’s back to hold a candle nicely without setting the lantern on fire.  

While folding the paper box, Kyungsoo noticed Yixing making the resurrection lilies and had to admire his skill with the scissors. He hadn’t thought it was possible for someone to be that good with handling scissors and snipping away at a piece of paper until it looked like the thin petals of the resurrection lily. With a flick of the wrist, Yixing sliced the tip of the stem into thin strips and pressed it outwards lightly.

Just like that, he held a white, quivering, resurrection lily in his hands. The paper didn’t have the soft texture of the petals but the shape was there, and Kyungsoo was sure it would look pretty at night, floating on a river.

“It looked so real,” Kyung said dumbly, taking the lily from Yixing’s proffered hand. Luhan caught what he had said and glanced at the flower, a smug smile on his face. “I told you Yixing was wonderful at it.”

“Do it again,” Kyungsoo said, holding out some more paper at Yixing. As promised he made two more resurrection lilies for Kyungsoo, riveting him with his magnificent skill at snipping a piece of paper into a flower. _Maybe reading all those books must’ve given him this sort of skill and tenacity to learn,_ Kyungsoo thought.

When Yixing was done, Kyungsoo finally returned his attention to Jongin, who looked like he was almost done with drawing on the side of his boat. “Sorry I was so distracted. It’s just that—I mean, look at these flowers,” Kyungsoo said, pushing the paper lilies into Jongin’s face.

“They are lovely, _min_ _kjærlighet,”_ Jongin said, pretending to smell the flowers.

Kyungsoo blushed, taking the flowers away and moving on to make a square box for himself to fit it into his square bowl and stick the flowers in. “So what were you drawing?” Kyungsoo asked nonchalantly.

Jongin held out his boat to Kyungsoo for him to see. He had drawn his family insignia at the mast on either sides. Typical of Jongin. A wolf stood in defensive stance beside the insignias, taking up a third of the boat’s blank space, and finally his name written in capitals on one side, Kyungsoo’s full name on the other.

“This part is embarrassing,” Kyungsoo laughed, pointing at his name. Jongin put an arm around him, staring at his name.

 _Do Kyungsoo_ ♥

“It’s quite the contrary, my love. It’s my favourite part of this,” Jongin said, kissing his temple. Kyungsoo handed the boat back to him, kissing the corner of his lips because he couldn’t resist Jongin when he was like this.

“Should we write our resolutions and all now?” Kyungsoo asked, admiring the flowers he had made. Jongin nodded. “Just put it down in a piece of paper and tuck it into the lantern if you don’t feel like showing it to everyone. Some people think your wishes are more likely to come true if you display them proudly, but there’s nothing wrong with wanting a bit privacy, eh?” Jongin smiled, handing Kyungsoo a feather.

Kyungsoo took the feather, stroking it across his palm. “Did you write your wish privately last year?” Kyungsoo asked. Jongin shrugged. “I wrote what I wanted in plain sight, but the words were a little small. I didn’t want _everyone_ to see it,” he said.

“That’s probably why I’m with you now then. Because you wrote your wish and let the whole world have a look at it,” Kyungsoo smiled. Jongin laughed in embarrassment.

“I may have been a bit desperate, I’ll give you that. But this year my resolutions are promises, love, promises I intend to keep for you,” Jongin said, cutting a small piece of paper to write on. Kyungsoo held up a hand. “Don’t tell me your wish! It won’t come true if you tell me,” he said.

Jongin smiled half in confusion, half in innocent curiosity. “Is that really a Pureblood belief?” he asked. Kyungsoo nodded.

“So don’t look at mine. I really want it to come true, so…” Kyungsoo bit his lip, writing his wish down as neatly and plainly as he could manage.

_I wish Jongin and I can spend forever together._

After a few minutes, Kyungsoo’s lantern was done. The flowers stood up nicely, Jongin had found some black paint to dot and paint the flowers a bit to make it seem more realistic, and it was ready for tonight’s festival. The pink candle stood proud and tall among the flowers, and Kyungsoo couldn’t help but feel a little proud of himself. It wasn’t a bad lantern, as far as he was concerned. Jongin’s boat was done as well, ready to sail once he glued the candle on it.

The others were at different stages of done, however. Chanyeol and Baekhyun were nowhere near finished with their paper cranes. Luhan and Kyungsoo helped them to make the paper cranes, since they had nothing else to do, but it still wasn’t enough. At this rate, making a thousand paper cranes didn’t sound impossible.

“Why is there space on my lantern?” Baekhyun wailed. “I’m going crazy with these fuckers!” Baekhyun said, flinging all the paper cranes into the air. Kyungsoo and the rest kept silent. Sehun, Kyungsoo noticed, was struggling with Luhan’s half moon half sun lantern as well because he wanted it to be 3-D yet it still had to hold a candle _and_ float on the surface of the water.

“Just relax, Baekhyun, and fold some cranes,” Luhan patted his back, pushing a half finished crane to him. Baekhyun sighed.

“You know what, I’m just gonna glue some of them to the lantern first to get my mind off the cranes. Or maybe I’ll just glue a few,” Baekhyun said, holding up his own regular lantern and twisting it around in his hand.

“A few sounds better than a thousand,” Kyungsoo said, picking up a few paper cranes from the ground. “Right?” Baekhyun high fived him. Chanyeol looked at Baekhyun’s pile of paper cranes.

“If you don’t want yours, then give it to me,” he said. Baekhyun waved a hand at him dismissively. “Have it,” he said.

“That’ll make my count 489 then,” Chanyeol said. Kyungsoo widened his eyes at him.

“By 489 you mean _… four hundred and eighty nine paper cranes_?” he croaked. Chanyeol nodded cheerfully. “Make that four hundred and ninety, actually,” he said, holding up a newly made paper crane. That was when Kyungsoo decided to back out of this paper crane business, waving at Jongin to get out of the hall. He nodded, collecting their lanterns and walking out as quietly as he could.

“AHAHA, so Luhan, it’s almost lunchtime and gosh, I am famished! Since I’m done already I’ll just go now, alright?” Kyungsoo laughed nervously, shuffling backwards to the exit. Fortunately, Luhan was so caught up with his paper crane folding he didn’t quite catch what Kyungsoo said and replied, “Yes, yes, to the restroom, yes.” Luhan waved a dismissive hand at him.

Kyungsoo could not have run any faster out of the hall, catching up with Jongin down the corridor.

“What should we do now?” Kyungsoo asked breathlessly, linking arms with Jongin. Jongin motioned at the lanterns in his hand. “I’ll set this down first and we can start to get ready for the festival after a quick lunch, love. We’ll leave at sundown,” he said.

“Oh. That’s four hours away though,” Kyungsoo said, counting the hours. Jongin bit his lip, running his gaze down Kyungsoo’s length. “Perhaps we could fit a long shower then?” he said, lifting an eyebrow suggestively.

Kyungsoo stifled an embarrassed smile. “We definitely have the time right?”

Jongin nodded. “Oh yes, love. I believe four hours is more than enough,” he murmured, reaching a hand down to pat Kyungsoo’s bum.

*

Four hours, a bath, countless kisses and a light meal later, Kyungsoo was _still_ kissing the life out of Jongin, his lips pressing against Jongin’s soft ones and running his tongue over his teeth. He felt reckless and dizzy with happiness in Jongin’s arms all afternoon; he didn’t mind if he stayed like that in a loop forever.

But this wasn’t some kind of video game where he could just press replay and start from the beginning all over again. Kyungsoo noticed how there were shadows thrown across Jongin’s face, and the way the setting sun coloured his golden skin a brilliant pink. It was sunset and they had been cooped up in the room since they made the lanterns.

They were going to have to leave soon which made Kyungsoo feel like Cinderella, spending a few hours in bliss with a wonderful and sexy prince before having to escape back into reality.

“The festival is going to start soon,” Jongin whispered, an arm draped over Kyungsoo’s waist. “Mm,” Kyungsoo pulled away from him reluctantly. Jongin caressed his warm, slightly damp skin, sending tingles down Kyungsoo’s spine.

“Shouldn’t we be getting ready if we’re gonna leave soon?” Kyungsoo asked, voice low and muted. Jongin just smiled, staring into Kyungsoo’s eyes. “I wish we could stay like this forever,” he murmured, echoing Kyungsoo’s earlier thought.

“Can’t we?” Kyungsoo smiled back. Then he faltered, remembering that Jongin knew nothing about the spell. Jongin saw the hesitation in Kyungsoo’s eyes and his hand stilled on Kyungsoo’s side, his thumb rubbing circles on Kyungsoo’s hip bone. “There _will_ be a way, love,” he whispered, misinterpreting Kyungsoo’s hesitation. Kyungsoo cleared his throat and recollected his thoughts, tracing the curve of Jongin’s lips.

“I know,” he said, reaching a finger to push the corner of Jongin’s lip up. “But I don’t want to talk about it today,” he whispered. His mood was too good to really worry about the spell at that moment. It was New Year’s Eve, after all. Chances were he’d only have to worry about the spell next year.

Kyungsoo was about to lean for a last kiss when there were three efficient knocks on the door. Jongin sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair. “Yes?” he called.

They didn’t really need Eunyoung informing that the others were ready and that the carriage was about to come and pick them up. Kyungsoo and Jongin both got out of the bed and got dressed. “Tell my brother we shall see him shortly,” Jongin replied Eunyoung, putting on a shirt with a frilly collar. Kyungsoo had no heart to say that it made Jongin look like a very gay ballroom dancer, although it did fit him to a T; it was practically skin tight.

“Very well, Master,” she answered. Kyungsoo got down on his knees to look for his jeans he had kicked off a while ago under the bed, pulling a dark green sweater over himself.

“Do you think we’ll get drunk tonight?” Kyungsoo asked, shaking out his jeans and looking at them thoughtfully.

“It depends,” Jongin said, amused. “Do you _want_ to get drunk?”

“I can’t decide. I don’t want to puke all over my jeans, but getting drunk on New Year’s Eve sounds like the right thing to do,” Kyungsoo said. He was sure Baekhyun was having the same thought as well; what if he ruined his robes? The _horror_.

“If you get drunk, I’ll have to stay sober to watch over you then,” Jongin said, tucking his shirt into his pants. Kyungsoo tugged his clothes on as well, trying to finger comb his hair into place. “Why? We have the carriage,” Kyungsoo laughed. Jongin smirked, stepping close to Kyungsoo and doing Kyungsoo’s hair for him.

“That sounds irresponsible of you. Do other Purebloods think the same way as well?” Jongin asked, poofing Kyungsoo’s hair out and arranging a few strands properly. “You think I’m irresponsible? You haven’t been on a night out with Baekhyun yet,” Kyungsoo shook his head, fingering the frills on Jongin’s shirt.

“This looks hideous on you,” he muttered.

Jongin lifted an eyebrow. “It is my formal attire,” he said. Kyungsoo sighed, flicking the frills around. “It looks absolutely terrible and I hope this only comes out once a year,” he replied. Jongin was done with Kyungsoo’s hair and Kyungsoo reached up just to pat his hair down a bit in some places. They were ready, and headed out without a moment’s hesitation.

Carrying their lanterns with them, Kyungsoo and Jongin headed out to the gardens and saw a large, white carriage the size of a limousine on a large set of painted golden wheels. Frankly, it was hard to miss. It had no roof, and looked like the sort one would ride on their wedding day, complete with six horses to pull it along.

“Don’t you think the carriage’s a little big for us?” Kyungsoo asked, eyes widening as he noticed Luhan getting on first, holding a tiny star shaped lantern. His robes were a bright red tonight, and he had so much kohl smudged on his eyes, he looked like an emo kid on prom night.

“Luhan considered the fact that some of us might not survive the night,” Jongin said dryly. In that case, the carriage made perfect sense. All seven of them could probably lie down in the carriage comfortably. “Oh. Another excuse for me to get drunk,” Kyungsoo said. Jongin laughed, leading him down the last few steps. They reached the rest of them as they stared up at the carriage curiously, daunted by the three steps leading up to the carriage.

Sehun was wearing a black silk suit which looked expensive but was ruined by the sight of him holding Luhan’s large half moon and half sun lantern. Yixing had on plain, linen robes and volunteered to climb on the carriage after Luhan, getting on without a hint of fear.

Chanyeol, standing beside Kyungsoo, wore a suit jacket with a raglan sleeved tee underneath and black jeans, looking like some college kid who should be at a bachelor party rather than standing by a white carriage with his dirty sneakers and gigantic lantern.

“I cannot believe I’m riding one of these things before our wedding,” Chanyeol said to Baekhyun, swinging his paper crane lantern around. “Just get on it first and tell me what it’s like to sit up there,” Baekhyun grumbled, pushing Chanyeol towards the carriage and snatching his lantern away. He stumbled before the steps, clearing his throat and squaring his shoulders before clambering up onto the carriage.

Luhan sat in the carriage excitedly, clapping his hands when Chanyeol made it to the top of the steps. His knees automatically bent as he looked around in fear, and quickly sat down on the leather seats in the carriage.

“I take it that it’s really high off the ground?” Baekhyun said. Chanyeol gave a fearful, silent nod. Baekhyun sighed but handed Chanyeol their lanterns, pulling up his white and gold robes and set his hands on the handles set on the side of the carriage, climbing up the steps slowly.

“Is it really that high up?” Kyungsoo asked Chanyeol. Luhan snorted before he could reply. “Once you get up here, you’ll get over it. Don’t you like it up here? The air is a little thinner than it is down there,” Luhan said to Chanyeol. “He’s already a giant, Lu, he can’t go up any higher than his own height,” Baekhyun replied crossly, crawling onto the carriage without getting to his feet. He pulled himself up only to sit down, and that was it.

“Kyungsoo, brother, get on. Hurry up or we’ll be late,” Luhan ordered. Jongin offered to go first, handing his lantern to Kyungsoo while he swung himself up swiftly over the steps and reached for Kyungsoo’s hand.

“It’s not that bad, love, just take my hand and you’ll see,” he promised. Kyungsoo gulped, pushing their lanterns to him and taking the first step up. The carriage tipped slightly to one side as he climbed up the steps, and Kyungsoo flung himself into Jongin’s arms at the top, closing his eyes as they shuffled into a seat.

That left Sehun alone at the bottom, and he stared at the steps determinedly, passing the lantern to Chanyeol to have both hands free. He placed his hands on the handles, and pulled himself upwards with a muffled grunt, skipping the other two steps and lunging onto the carriage.

The carriage bounced precariously on the rickety wheels, and for a moment it felt like it would break apart and collapse beneath them.

“Sit down!” Luhan hissed, looking scared as well. Sehun quickly lowered his centre of gravity; the carriage slowly stilled.

“Oh thank God,” Kyungsoo sighed, burying his face into Jongin’s chest. Sehun sat down beside Luhan, gripping the edge of the carriage tightly.

“Is that really how you want to start off the festival?” Luhan giggled. He whistled at the driver, an unfamiliar face to Kyungsoo, and said, “What are you waiting for, my good sire? Off we go!” The driver tipped his hat at Luhan, facing forward and yelling a _Hee-yah!_ at the horses. Kyungsoo held on Jongin’s arm tightly as the carriage lurched forward and made a sharp turn, leaning dangerously on one side before the horses changed directions and it righted itself.

“I don’t know why Cinderella rode this to the royal ball, it feels like a plastic toy car,” Kyungsoo whined loudly, looking over the edge of the carriage. Grass and twigs flew past at an alarming speed, twisting Kyungsoo’s stomach into knots instantly.

“The ride won’t be that long, love, it’s just until we reach the river,” Jongin whispered, placing a kiss on the top of his head. Kyungsoo was grateful for his presence and leaned on him, all other thoughts forgotten as the wind blew their hair back and the castle disappeared from view.

Jongin was right; it must’ve been only ten minutes or so before the town square could be seen at a distance, and Kyungsoo thanked the Good Lord that he survived the ride. The carriage bounced a bit once the wheels went over the cobblestone streets, jiggling and jolting everyone in their seats in the carriage. Luhan barked at the driver. “What’s the hurry, man?! Slow us down or you’ll find yourself making me a new lantern!”

Sehun held his hands out over Luhan’s lantern, watching it very carefully. Kyungsoo was pleased that his lantern wasn’t as precious; it was going to eventually sink to the bottom of the river anyway.

 _I hope my wish comes true_ , Kyungsoo thought, smiling to himself, looking down at his flowery lantern in his lap. It was plain and simple, just like his wish, and he hoped it conveyed how much he wanted his wish and nothing else to whichever deity seemed to be granting wishes here in Lycanfort.

 _Dear Lord, if you hear me,_ Kyungsoo thought, _I don’t need anything else in this world if I have Jongin with me._

The spell _had_ to work. It just had to.

Speaking of spell, Kyungsoo noticed that Jongdae wasn’t on the carriage. “Luhan, isn’t Jongdae coming after all?” Kyungsoo frowned. He was hoping to have a quiet word with him to see how the spell was coming along. Baekhyun and Sehun couldn’t tell Kyungsoo anything because they hadn’t heard from him either, and he hoped this meant good news.

Luhan gave a nonchalant shrug, adjusting his robes. “He said sundown at the very latest, but I don’t know. Maybe he wants to celebrate in Europe instead.”

Kyungsoo tried to reassure himself with that piece of information; if Jongdae could send messages, he certainly wasn’t dead. He was a still a valuable friend nonetheless to Kyungsoo. He refrained from asking more questions to avoid suspicion and pretended to look over the edge of the carriage, waving at a few wayward townspeople.

“Is everyone already gathered at the river?” Kyungsoo asked. Jongin nodded.

“There will be free food stalls and activities like lantern making contests, jam contests, pie contests…”

“The whole lot,” Kyungsoo finished for him. Jongin gave him a grateful smile. “We’ll have a lovely time tonight, _min kjærlighet,_ that I am sure of. Whether you get drunk, of course, is entirely of your own accord,” he teased. Kyungsoo slapped his chest lightly, thinking of a smart comment when the carriage lurched to the right and there were suddenly loud cheers all around.

The carriage slowed to a crawl as it squeezed past a street filled with people spilling in from all directions, waving and hooting at all of them in the carriage. It didn’t seem to matter that Yixing, Baekhyun and Chanyeol were technically royal guests; they received the same treatment from everyone. Luhan did a princess wave to the crowd while Sehun cracked a friendly smile and nodded at the crowd, waving here and there once in a while.

Jongin looked very at ease with the people, greeting and nodding at some, touching a hand or two over the edge of the carriage. Kyungsoo was hyper aware that he was supposed to behave a certain way and sat by Jongin with a straight back, pasting a warm smile over his face.

“They love you, my love,” Jongin whispered in his ear, placing a hand around his waist. “How can you tell?” Kyungsoo whispered back.

“Because you appeal to them, as you do to me,” Jongin smiled teasingly, making Kyungsoo blush. The crowd got a little rowdy at that, and Kyungsoo saw a few girls shedding a tear. “I think the girls like you more,” Kyungsoo whispered into his ear, waving apologetically at some teenage girls who were sobbing with smiles on their faces.

Jongin shrugged. He didn’t think they were infatuated with him because of his looks, but Kyungsoo couldn’t blame them either. Had he been a teenage girl living in Lycanfort as well, he would’ve wept at the sight of his royal King putting hands on his beloved.

The crowds obviously didn’t quiet down as they moved forward towards the riverside, and by the time they had to dismount the carriage, Kyungsoo was surely he could hear a faint ringing in his ears, and wobbled as he got down from the carriage even though Jongin was there to give him a helping hand. “Steady,” Jongin said, putting a hand on his shoulder to balance Kyungsoo out. “I’m fine. Are we going to send off the lanterns now?” Kyungsoo asked, holding his lantern somewhat protectively. It didn’t occur to him that his lantern might be scrutinized by the people, but it was happening now, as the crowd tried to see what they had made without crossing some invisible, three feet boundary.

They never came any closer than that, which was rather thoughtful of them. Luhan and the other four of them got down the carriage safely and stood in a group, looking around in wonder and excitement. “Where is the stand for our lanterns?” Luhan said, directing his question to the crowd.

The crowd parted silently on Kyungsoo’s left as they stared on curiously at them. “Ah, there it is. Come along,” Luhan said, walking daintily through the crowd without hesitation. Kyungsoo followed his lead and tried not to feel self conscious as the townspeople stared him down, literally. They stared at his clothes, which he had to admit was not his best outfit, they stared at his lantern, they stared him directly in the face… It was overwhelming, to say the least, to walk through the crowd like this.

Jongin didn’t seem to notice everyone and slung a lazy arm around Kyungsoo’s side, shadowing Luhan’s footsteps till they reached a small clearing, which looked like the end of the river where a wooden table was set up. The river was quite shallow when Kyungsoo took a closer look, perhaps it only reached to somewhere above Kyungsoo’s ankle but the sound of water skipping over rocks was nice to hear. It sounded magical to Kyungsoo, despite the crowd around them.

Jongin took Kyungsoo’s lantern and set it down on the table with the other lanterns, his small arrangement of flowers overshadowed by Luhan’s lantern.

“When will we send it down the river?” Kyungsoo asked curiously. “Once the moon comes up. Until then we can busy ourselves with all the activities the people have kindly prepared for us. Would you like to dance later on?” Jongin asked. Kyungsoo gasped, looking up at him.

“There’s gonna be dancing? Ooh, we have to do it,” Kyungsoo declared. “You’d better teach me,” he said, holding up his pinkie finger. Jongin twisted his pinkie finger around Kyungsoo’s little one, kissing him on the cheek. “It’d be my pleasure, love.”

Baekhyun tapped Kyungsoo on the shoulder, distracting Kyungsoo from his enthusiasm. “We’re gonna split up now, so. Meet you back here?” he said.

Kyungsoo nodded. “We’re gonna look around too,” he replied. Luhan and Sehun went off first, blending in with the crowd. Baekhyun and Chanyeol went into another direction while Yixing followed after Luhan, and finally Kyungsoo and Jongin held hands, walking along the riverside.

“Let’s walk slowly so we don’t bump into the others,” Kyungsoo suggested. They strolled by the river quietly, swinging their hands together. The crowd moved away to give them privacy, although most of them still stared openly at the both of them. “It’s kind of warm tonight,” Kyungsoo remarked, pulling his sweater away from his skin to fan himself.

“Spring is coming soon. It’ll get warmer, and the flowers will start blooming once more,” Jongin smiled, inhaling deeply and looking up at the sky. “I never thought one day I’d enjoy cherry blossoms with someone like you,” Kyungsoo said honestly. It warmed his heart to think that Jongin would always be there every season to welcome the heat or cold, to embrace the seasons with someone he loved.

“I can’t wait for summer, my love. The forest comes alive, and there are so many things I want to show you,” he said, a twinkle in his eye as he thought about it. “I can’t wait for summer too. I think by then, it’d be appropriate to have a camping trip,” he said. Jongin laughed, nodding at his remark.

“Yes, a few days out in the wilderness in summer would be good for us,” he agreed. A row of stalls soon came into view, people manning their stalls by the edge of the river while handing out free food, free drinks, promoting their wares.

“Is this honey?” Kyungsoo asked, approaching the first stall. A kind faced woman dipped two small spoons and handed it to them for a taste. Kyungsoo couldn’t believe how delicate the honey tasted, sweet and light with a hint of lavender. “Wow, this is nice,” Kyungsoo said, smiling at the woman. She gave a slight bow and thanked him for his kind words.

“Could we have a jar of honey?” Kyungsoo asked. Jongin dug into his pocket for some coins, but the woman shooed his hand away, digging out a jar of honey from a box beside her. “It’ll cost you both nothing, milords. Have a lovely evening,” she said dismissively, handing the jar to Kyungsoo. He took it and thanked her profusely; he wasn’t used to getting free things.

“There’ll be more of that if we walk along the food stalls,” Jongin whispered in his ear. “I’m saving you money here. We could use this honey for at least three months and you don’t have to buy honey from her,” Kyungsoo replied. Jongin chuckled, taking the glass jar from him. “Very well then. Go on, and collect your free items,” he said.

They stopped by a stall handing out kebabs for free, and had something to snack on while they admired a vegetable stall, a fruit stall, a jam stall, and finally a tea stall where they met the woman from her quaint teahouse sometime ago.

“Oh, it’s lovely to see you again, you young lads! Come and have a sip of our new tea, sire, lemon and mint tea! How’s that for ya?” she said, laughing while handing them tiny cups of tea to sip at. “Refreshing,” Kyungsoo said, the hit of the mint bursting in the back of his throat. “Tastes wonderful, isn’t it? Here, sire, have a box of it and share it with the rest,” she said, bustling about to give Kyungsoo a small metal case with a lacey label over it, the teahouse name stamped in cursive print on it. “I’ll enjoy it, I’m sure,” Kyungsoo said, thanking her before moving on to the next stall.

Up ahead, Kyungsoo saw chairs and tables laid out on a wooden platform while children sat on the chairs and tried a hand at making lanterns. Their parents were cheering them on without coming close, so Kyungsoo knew it was a contest and stopped just to have a look. A little boy was making a horrendous looking lump of paper, while a few girls folded the paper in their hands confidently although what she was making, Kyungsoo didn’t know.

Next was a table set with a chequered red and white tablecloth held a row of some twenty pies of different shapes and sizes. There were small labels, and they read it each one as they passed; marmalade, strawberry, peaches and cream, pineapple upside down pie, rhubarb pie as well as many others that Kyungsoo didn’t know, but was sure they tasted great. The elderly lady manning the stall told them to stop by once the results were in, and to have a slice or two of the pies.

Unsurprisingly, night came by the time Kyungsoo and Jongin were done glancing through all the stalls. It felt like farmers’ market to Kyungsoo, and as always whenever he came to this sort of events, was full by the time they went through all the food stalls. They bumped into Chanyeol on the way, who tested a raw chilli by biting down on it, consequently turning a magnificent red and coughed, asking for a cup of water ‘before I explode.’

They saw Luhan as well, admiring a fabric stall and choosing out a few fabrics for his curtains and rugs and who knew what else. Kyungsoo did pick out one to have some clothes made out of it, but didn’t decide on what those clothes would be. A jacket? A one piece pyjama? God forbid, a set of robes? At least he had some great fabric on hand.

Kyungsoo and Jongin did walk past a very large platform where musicians were playing jolly, folk music but resisted temptation, promising Jongin to dance the night away with him once they sent off the lanterns.

Slowly, they made their way back, arms laden with all sorts of things, ranging from food to a special set of golden cutlery from the goldsmith, their names etched into the forks and spoons. “This is _so_ great, I’m gonna use them the minute we get home,” Kyungsoo said, holding up the cutlery set.

“If I knew you wanted something custom made, I’d have those made within days after meeting you,” Jongin laughed, setting everything down on the table where their lanterns sat patiently. A lot of people stopped by to admire their lanterns like it was some kind of art gallery, and Kyungsoo prayed his flower arrangement didn’t look dumb. He was proud of it earlier, but now…not so much.

“Where are the others?” Kyungsoo said absently, standing on his tip toes to look for Luhan or Sehun in the crowd. It was dark already, and Kyungsoo knew it was about time they sent the lanterns sailing down the river. He saw Chanyeol making his way towards them, but there was no sight of Baekhyun by his side, which was strange. When were they ever _not_ together?

“Chanyeol, where’s Baek?” Kyungsoo asked when he came close. Chanyeol shrugged. “Said he needed the toilet.”

“He’s a vampire, since when does he need the toilet?” Kyungsoo said flatly. Chanyeol stopped and blinked in comprehension. “Oh right… but— that was what he said before he slipped away into the trees to pee or whatever…”

Kyungsoo was about to ask Chanyeol if Baekhyun suddenly received a message from Jongdae, but Yixing came over and chatted excitedly about sending off the lanterns, effectively interrupting Kyungsoo.

“I really do hope my lantern floats, what do you think? Will it sink halfway through the river or flow all the way to the sea?” Yixing babbled, more to himself than to the both of them. Kyungsoo touched his shoulder and told him everything was probably going to work out just fine.

Luhan and Sehun came over just then, arm in arm. “We’re all here now, aren’t we?” Luhan said, counting quickly. “No, Baekhyun isn’t here,” Kyungsoo protested. Luhan turned around, furrowing his eyebrows. “I just saw him by that stall, didn’t he come back?” Luhan asked.

Kyungsoo shook his head. Jongin was already lighting his lantern, and the people were anticipating for him to commence New Year’s Eve. They couldn’t wait for Baekhyun, but they couldn’t leave to look for him either. _Maybe he’ll come back in a while_ , Kyungsoo thought.

Jongin cleared his throat and started to address the people while they stepped aside. “Is it okay if the festival starts without him?” Kyungsoo asked Luhan softly. “Only Kai and I really need to be here. Once you and Sehun send off the lanterns, you can go and look for him, although I wouldn’t worry. Everyone here recognizes us, so it’s not like he’s in danger…”

“… I would like to thank my people who have worked so hard to bring this festival together, making it enjoyable for one and for all,” Jongin was saying, holding out an arm to the people. “And my love,” he suddenly said, surprising Kyungsoo. His gaze was warm as he held out a hand to Kyungsoo. “I would not spend this day with any other.”

Luhan elbowed him forward, forcing him to step up and reach for Jongin’s hand. His thoughts were afflicted; as much as he wanted to say something equally cheesy to him, he couldn’t think of anything but Baekhyun and why he would suddenly disappear at a festival like this. Did something really go wrong?

Unable to think of anything to say, Kyungsoo hesitated for half a second before kissing Jongin in front of everyone, a chaste kiss of the lips but it said everything to them, and they almost went mad with cheer. Kyungsoo broke away in embarrassment, but Jongin looked smug, keeping a tight hand on Kyungsoo.

“Shall we?” Jongin murmured. His lantern and Kyungsoo’s lantern were already lit on the table, wax dripping down the side of Kyungsoo’s pink candle. Jongin’s candle looked like a pool of clear blue water when he picked up his lantern, brushing past Kyungsoo to get down on his knees by the edge of the river. Kyungsoo did the same, and held out a hand to Jongin, balancing his lantern in the other. Jongin took his hand gently, sending him an affectionate glance before they lowered their hands to the river and placed their lanterns on the surface of the water.

Luhan clapped his hands excitedly beside Kyungsoo, ecstatic that the festival had officially begun. Jongin and Kyungsoo watched their lanterns bump against rocks before they steadily gained speed and floated down the river together, going past a long crowd of people.

In the darkness it was beautiful to watch their own lanterns floating alone, taking away with it Kyungsoo’s worries about the spell. _That’s all for next year,_ he thought _. Now, all I want to do hold Jongin’s hand._

Hold Jongin’s hand while Baekhyun was still missing, that is. He glanced at the faces standing by the river; none of them were Baekhyun, and none of them seemed to know where he was. As much as he didn’t want to worry, it tickled the back of his mind incessantly; it felt like there was something wrong.

“I’m here!”

Kyungsoo’s hand automatically tightened around Jongin’s hand as he flipped around at the sound of Baekhyun’s voice. He couldn’t see him but he saw the crowd parting before them, making way for a flustered Baekhyun. “Sorry I was late! Had some bad blood, I think,” he said, holding out a hand apologetically to Jongin. Kyungsoo gave a sigh of relief. So he _did_ have toilet problems.

“Just don’t disappear like that next time, Baek. I was worried you got kidnapped or something,” he said. Luhan and Sehun gave him a pat on the back, and went forward to send off their lanterns next while Kyungsoo and Jongin stood beside Yixing. Baekhyun panted heavily beside Kyungsoo, a hand on his hip as he inhaled and exhaled air that he didn’t need.

“Kyungsoo… Kyungsoo, there’s… something I…” Baekhyun panted. Kyungsoo furrowed his eyebrows. “What is it?” he asked. Jongin glanced at the both of them.

“It’s not something I’d feel comfortable to share with other people,” Baekhyun said pointedly, grabbing Kyungsoo’s free hand and sliding a finger onto his palm, pretending to pant some more. “Ugh, I puked so much,” he groaned, wiping his forehead dramatically.

Through all that, his finger stroked the inside of Kyungsoo’s palm repeatedly in the same pattern while Kyungsoo stared at Baekhyun, wondering why he was pretending to pant when he had already puked. He stopped for a moment to feel the pattern Baekhyun was drawing, and to his surprise found that he was drawing a single alphabet: E.

Baekhyun seemed to sense Kyungsoo’s comprehension; perhaps it was the sharp intake of breath and the way he clenched around Baekhyun’s finger. Baekhyun glanced up at him knowingly. “I can’t leave now,” Kyungsoo mouthed, shaking his head.

Baekhyun looked away, coughing a few times before standing up. “I’d say it’s urgent, but…” he shrugged, shaking Kyungsoo’s hand roughly.

“Do you think it’s the kind of problem you could take care of on your own?” Kyungsoo said to Baekhyun.

Baekhyun looked uncertain. “I’ll go into the bushes and see what I can do,” he replied, releasing his hold on Kyungsoo’s hand. Jongin looked at them both strangely as Baekhyun slowly backed away, melting into the crowd. “Is he alright?” he asked.

“Yeah, just… he has a weird tummy problem. I think he’ll be fine,” Kyungsoo said, trying not to be nervous. Something was happening in Europe; he didn’t know what, but Baekhyun had gone all the way there.

 _It can’t be that the spell is ready… right?_ Kyungsoo thought.

That was impossible. Jongdae said a few days, surely four days wasn’t enough? _What if I have to leave?_

 _What do I say to Jongin?_ He looked at their fingers laced together between them. It suddenly felt so real to him, that this was it. He might have to run away from Jongin soon, and then what would he think? That Kyungsoo didn’t love him anymore?

 _Now would be a good time to tell him,_ Kyungsoo thought. Then he thought about it again. Did he really want to make a scene on New Year’s Eve? No, that’d be rude and compromising. And Kyungsoo didn’t really know if he had the courage in him to own up to his secret. “Jongin, I…” Kyungsoo cut himself off. Jongin was distracted by Luhan’s lantern floating down the river in all its day and night themed glory, and hummed in response.

“There’s something I think I should tell you,” Kyungsoo whispered. His voice was lost in a sudden loud cheer behind him. They twisted around to see what was happening. The crowd parted at once, making way for the guest; it was Jongdae, flanked by two tall men on either side of him.

“Hey guys,” he said brightly. The two tall guys beside him were looking around curiously with their red eyes, one of them with gentle features while the other looked like he could be best friends with Chanyeol. “I brought two guests with me today, Hongbin and Wonshik,” Jongdae said, holding their hands and introducing them to Jongin.

They bowed and shook hands, smiling warmly at him. Hongbin, the one with the gentle features eyed Kyungsoo when he greeted Jongin, but just shot him a smile without saying anything. Baekhyun popped out of nowhere and joined them, shaking hands with Wonshik and Hongbin. Luhan was overwhelmed by how tall the guys were, but kept his manners and told them to enjoy themselves.

“There are a lot of activities this year, I hope you’ll find them to your liking,” Luhan said, speaking to Wonshik. He looked like Ryan Gosling to Kyungsoo, but he wasn’t sure why. Something about the way he smiled, or the way he laughed when Jongdae made a stupid joke.

“I didn’t think Jongdae would bring guests along. Would you mind if I…?” Jongin trailed off, motioning to them. Kyungsoo waved a hand. “It’s okay, go ahead, you need to show them around, right?” he said, pushing Jongin gently towards them.

“I’ll see you in a bit, love,” Jongin murmured, sending him a flying kiss before clapping a hand down on Hongbin’s shoulder.

“How are you? Good to see you, I’ve heard all sorts of wonderful things about you from Jongdae here…” They laughed and walked through the crowd, joining Luhan who was leading Wonshik to the fabric stall. Baekhyun lingered with Kyungsoo and Chanyeol, quickly lighting his lantern and sending it off without a fuss. They walked together once Chanyeol sailed his own lantern and muttered a prayer to God under his breath.

“Baek, what’s going on?” Kyungsoo asked without moving his mouth. It sounded like he was just grunting and making weird sounds in his throat, but Baekhyun understood. “They’re a distraction. Jongdae has the spell ready, and it has to be cast over you soon,” he whispered back.

“What? Today?” Kyungsoo hissed. Baekhyun nodded once. Chanyeol dithered around, wandering away from them to look for food.

“Something about the New Year’s Eve air at midnight. It increases your chance of survival, Soo, and even if you wanted to move the date to next week do you really wanna give up this chance?” Baekhyun mumbled.

“Why does it have to be at midnight? Who’s gonna kiss me then?” Kyungsoo demanded. Baekhyun held up both hands. “Not me or Chanyeol, that’s what I know.”

“How long do we have?” Kyungsoo asked. Baekhyun looked up at the sky, staring at the moon thoughtfully. “Like an hour, tops, before we have to leave. We can’t leave at midnight on the dot otherwise we’ll miss the moment.” Kyungsoo couldn’t believe he’d been at the festival for four hours already.

“D’you think I should tell Jongin?” Kyungsoo asked hesitantly, staring at Jongin up ahead. He was chatting with Hongbin and Wonshik now, but what would he do once he realizes Kyungsoo was gone? Would he sense it, or notice that Kyungsoo wasn’t by his side by midnight when everyone finally celebrated the past year with a kiss and he had no one to kiss?

Baekhyun shook his head, holding Kyungsoo’s hand to comfort him. “He wouldn’t let you go if you did and we’d never get the chance to do something like this for you.”

Kyungsoo sighed, staring at the river. A lot of people were placing their lanterns of the water, clasping their hands together in the hope of their wishes coming true. The river was alight with lanterns of all shapes and sizes, carrying them away from their owners.

“I don’t know if I wanna do it,” he murmured to Baekhyun, feeling a bit tearful. Baekhyun caught the tone in Kyungsoo’s voice and pulled him under a tree to talk to him. “If you’re scared because you don’t know if you want to be with Jongin, then it’s alright to pull out of this. If you’re scared because you don’t if you’ll survive the spell…

“Think about it, Kyungsoo. You took a risk for me when I was dying, and I could’ve easily died in front of you, but I’m here now, talking to you and telling you that it will all work out. I’m saying it’s a promise, but I’m saying that I’m willing to try for you and be there if something happens, Kyungsoo.”

“D’you have the letter with you?” Kyungsoo asked, sniffling. Baekhyun nodded, patting the right side of his chest. “It’s here, don’t worry. I’ll be there every step of the way, Kyungsoo. I won’t let you die without a fight. I promise.”

Baekhyun was right and Kyungsoo knew it. He _had_ to do this for Jongin, if not for himself. Their love was worth taking the risk, worth putting aside all his fears to at least try this one out. _I’m not getting any younger, and so is Jongin,_ Kyungsoo thought. Their time was running out while this chance to do something about it lingered just beyond Kyungsoo’s reach.

Kyungsoo wiped away his tears, breathing deeply.

“I-I think I wanna go and—join the festival, y’know?” Kyungsoo said, smiling weakly at Baekhyun. Baekhyun patted his shoulder, returning his smile. “Yeah, why not? There’s still time for us,” he said. They linked arms and rejoined the crowd, shaking off their jitters. They were best friends still, and had each other’s backs despite the changes between them.

“Hey, there’s some cotton candy,” Baekhyun said, pointing at a stall they hadn’t noticed just now. The machine looked very different from the one Kyungsoo was used to, but the cotton candy was still the same; light, pink and fluffy. It was a shame that Baekhyun couldn’t eat it, so Kyungsoo took some on his behalf and plucked a tuft out, putting it into his mouth and letting it melt on his tongue.

“I miss cotton candy,” Baekhyun said mournfully, watching Kyungsoo eat the cotton candy off a stick. “Does it taste good?” he asked.

“When does cotton candy taste bad?” Kyungsoo replied. Baekhyun laughed, poking at his cotton candy in retaliation. “I hope you remember to brush your teeth later, or you’re gonna be eating with dentures soon,” Baekhyun teased.

They bumped into Jongdae at the next stall and linked arms with him, watching him blatantly on either sides while he observed a collection of old coins uncomfortably under their heavy gaze.

“What?” he said, looking up at Kyungsoo.

“It just has to be today?”

“You can wait till next year—”

“What if I have no teeth next year? Then there’s no point to immortality.”

Jongdae rolled his eyes, motioning for them to back away from the stall. Kyungsoo and Baekhyun stepped backwards twice and marched forward, squeezing Jongdae in between them. “It’s just a festival, I don’t know why you’re getting so worked up about it,” Jongdae grumbled.

“It’s my first New Year’s Eve festival, and I’m not the one getting worked up. You are,” Kyungsoo said.

“Well, you’re gonna have to let me go soon. I’m gonna give Hongbin the signal and he’ll pull out all the stops and distract everyone while we escape into the trees.”

They let go of Jongdae but stayed together with him, glancing at everything with disinterest. Kyungsoo could hardly keep his mind off the fact that he was going to go to Europe now, but it was hardly anything compared to the fact that he didn’t what the spell would be like. Painful or painless? Would Jongdae knock him out or would he have to keep him awake?

The hour flew past with a blink of an eye, and Jongdae was observing the variety of fabrics a merchant had to offer when he suddenly whistled for no reason. It was an unfamiliar song, but he seemed to know it quite well as he rubbed his hand over some silk. Hongbin, from some distance away, suddenly had something important to propose to Jongin and they ducked into a café nearby, completely diverting his attention from the festival to themselves, talking seriously about a joint venture in exporting magic potions into Lycanfort.

Baekhyun could hear what was happening even though he couldn’t see it and told Kyungsoo what Hongbin was doing with Jongin. “They’re really serious about this potion thing, so Jongin’s taking it seriously too. Sounds like they’ll be talking for a while,” he informed.

Jongdae set a roll of fur down, thanking the merchant before walking away. His gaze was solemn as he looked at the both of them. “Let’s go,” he said. Jongdae brushed past them, leading the way

They headed into the trees, rustling in without drawing too much attention. No one noticed them going in, certainly not Luhan and Sehun who happened to walk past, and certainly not Jongin who was quite far away, listening to Wonshik’s proposition.

Kyungsoo gripped Baekhyun’s arm tightly while they made their way into the forest, receding into the dark bushes before Jongdae stopped at a spot and told them to wait. “Don’t make any noises, alright?”

“You’ll have to be quick ‘cause the Portal is pretty bright,” he said, a glint of silver appearing in his hands. Blue mist started to glow from his hands, intensifying when he drew the silver blade vertically in front of himself. Light spilled from the other side, so bright in the dark that Kyungsoo could hardly see what was beyond the Portal, but he rushed in, feet bumping into chairs or something hard.

Jongdae jumped through next, barely missing Kyungsoo as he went past and finally Baekhyun flung himself in, rolling on the ground and sending a burst of white magic at the Portal. It closed itself shut with a whirr, and it was done. Kyungsoo was in Europe, standing in the marble area with Jongdae and Baekhyun.

There were no other vampires about except for one who seemed to be waiting for them. “You both okay? We’re gonna go in now,” Jongdae said, dusting himself off. The vampire reached for his coat, and Jongdae shrugged out of it first while Baekhyun got up, looking around.

“Where’s everyone?” he asked.

“Up above. It’s night here too,” Jongdae replied, motioning to a door outside the marble area. It was set into the wall, and blended in so well that Kyungsoo didn’t see it till the vampire waiting for them walked over and opened the door for them, waving a hand.

“I didn’t notice this the last time I was here,” Kyungsoo muttered, entering the door first. “Yeah well, there must’ve been at least a dozen vampires protecting the door. You wouldn’t have seen it unless they wanted you to,” Jongdae laughed.

Baekhyun proudly said to Kyungsoo that he’d been here before, a few days before today. “Just to see how Yifan’s crib used to look like,” he shrugged. They entered a very small hallway as the vampire shut the door behind them, plunging them into darkness.

“Um, a little light here?” Kyungsoo said, stopping in his tracks.

Baekhyun sent a little ball of light for him, lighting the way before him. The hallway quickly opened up as Kyungsoo’s eyes adjusted, leading them downwards. Up ahead, railings stood erect in front of Kyungsoo where the path turned sharply to the left.  

“Go on,” Jongdae gestured. Baekhyun made more lights appear for Kyungsoo to see. “You’re gonna want to see this,” he said smugly, sending his lights out over the railing. Kyungsoo’s mouth opened in awe when the lights illuminated the place, revealing walls and floors entirely made out of marbled gneiss, hence the smooth floors and solid railing as they walked downwards against a wall. The area was gigantic, stretching across a dark abyss the size of a football field with corridors lining the abyss in the centre, spiralling down into the darkness below.

“What’s down there?” Kyungsoo asked, looking over the edge of the railing. “Just residences, offices, laboratories… Everything is hidden behind a door, and unless you know what you’re looking for, you could go crazy in here, just running upwards or downwards the corridors without knowing what’s behind all these doors,” Jongdae smirked.

Kyungsoo looked at the wall beside him and noticed that there were knobs every twenty to thirty feet, although he couldn’t see the outline of a doorway.

“How far deep does it go?” Kyungsoo asked.

“About 300 floors down. This floor is the first floor, so you do the math,” Jongdae said. Baekhyun added, “Jongdae lives right at the bottom. Apparently it gets more expensive the deeper you go down,” Baekhyun said snidely.

“If you have three million gold coins you can buy a place here too,” Jongdae said lightly to Kyungsoo. “That sounds… expensive.”

“Technically I own this place and you’re only renting a room here, but I could give you a discount if you want,” he smiled. Kyungsoo ran a hand across the doors, feeling the earth thrumming beneath his fingers. He was definitely below ground level, could feel the way the earth seemed to vibrate from all directions.

It felt like they were descending slowly into hell, but they soon stopped before a door simply labelled as 14 after a few minutes of walking. Jongdae brushed his hand over the knob briefly, and the doorway appeared with an audible click, popping open inwards. “Is this Hongbin’s place?” Baekhyun asked.

“Nope, Wonshik’s. Hongbin’s down at 45, and he said he didn’t want to ruin his white sofas,” Jongdae rolled his eyes, flicking a switch on. That gave Kyungsoo a shudder; why would Hongbin’s sofa be ruined? Jongdae thanked the vampire who had been following them silently, and shut the door behind him, concealing them in Wonshik’s humble apartment.

It wasn’t very large, that was the first thing Kyungsoo noticed. It was like a New York apartment, except with no windows. The walls were painted a heavy maroon, while the furniture was tasteful; a black sofa, a black coffee table and a large, white canvas stood across the sofa, spattered with blue paint. “Wonshik is an artist. This is his latest creation, although obviously it’s not done yet,” Jongdae said, motioning to it.

“Come in, he has a spare room and we’ve already set everything up,” Jongdae said, waving at them to follow him. A wall beside the sofa separated the living room from an open space bedroom, where the bed was queen sized and a mirror stood beside the bed. In front of the bed was another open door, and they all squeezed in.

The room was as large as Kyungsoo’s bedroom, which wasn’t that big to start with but it could fit a large, empty table and multiple coloured glass bottles on the ground.

“Get on the table, Kyungsoo,” Jongdae said, flicking a light switch on as well. Baekhyun’s made his lights disappear, and stood beside the table while Kyungsoo clambered on it without questioning Jongdae, lying down over the smooth surface.

“Are you ready for this?” Baekhyun asked.

Kyungsoo shook his head, trying to control his fast beating heart. He wondered if Jongin had already noticed that he was gone, if he could feel the pain in Kyungsoo’s chest from being so far away from Jongin so suddenly, in another country altogether.

Jongdae was looking through a few bottles, picking out some and handing them to Baekhyun.

“Measure out a cup of that and make Kyungsoo drink it,” Jongdae said. “There’s no cup in here,” Baekhyun said, looking around.

“Have Kyungsoo drink it then,” Jongdae said absently, uncorking some of the bottles and mixing a few of the solutions together. Kyungsoo took the bottle from Baekhyun, pulling the cork out and sniffing it tentatively. “What is it?” he asked, sitting up.

“Vodka. You must be nervous, I can hear your heartbeat without having to concentrate,” Jongdae said, pulling a piece of paper out of his coat and referring to it while muttering to himself. Baekhyun shrugged at Kyungsoo, tapping a finger on the bottle. “I don’t think I need to measure it out.”

Kyungsoo stared at the blue glass bottle for a moment before he placed his lips to the rim, and down an entire mouthful. The vodka burned unpleasantly in his throat, making him cough. Baekhyun took the bottle away and corked it, putting it down. Kyungsoo felt his head spin almost as soon as his coughing fit went away, so he laid back down on the table.

“Baek, didn’t you say you had the letter with you?” Kyungsoo asked. Baekhyun nodded. “Then shouldn’t you be in Lycanfort to give it to Jongin?” Kyungsoo frowned, wincing when a sharp pain sliced through his head. “Oh my God, I forgot about that. I’ll have to find him and come back then. Will you be alright without me?” he asked.

Kyungsoo nodded, closing his eyes. Jongdae turned to Baekhyun and said, “If you want to see me cast the spell, go now. The hour isn’t here yet, and I’ve got things to prepare so.”

Baekhyun waved Kyungsoo a hurried goodbye, rushing out of the apartment. The entire place was silent after that, for which Kyungsoo was thankful. The vodka definitely packed a punch; he felt warm already, and it had only been a few minutes.

“Jongdae?”

“Hmm?”

“I think… this might be a good time to tell you that I’ve been feeling weird for the past few days,” Kyungsoo muttered, holding his hands over his eyes. “What? What kind of weird?” Jongdae asked, carrying five bottles and placing them in a row beside Kyungsoo on the table.

“Every time I come close to earth, it’s like I get this thrumming, like vibrations, and they’re like messages. If I concentrate it’s like GPS and I can feel the earth vibrating a little differently at different spots.”

“Oh. That’s not surprising,” Jongdae said nonchalantly, pouring something all over Kyungsoo. It smelled like diesel.

“Are you gonna set me on fire?” Kyungsoo asked, feeling his sweater soaking up the cold liquid. He pulled out Jongin’s necklace and tugged it off his neck, gripping it in his fingers to keep it dry.

“No. And you probably could feel the earth because you’re a Pureblood but you’ve been living in your town for so long, where the Portal is, till the magic in the place kind of…” Jongdae paused, thinking of the right words.

“It’s like radiation. If you stay in the place long enough, you’ll get infected. You probably didn’t notice how the earth was talking to you because you’ve never been in direct contact with a vampire or a lycan, but once you er, spent more time with Kai, the magic, again, rubs off on you in a way, makes you more susceptible to what the earth has always been saying to you. Furthermore, your town is made of cement. How can the earth talk to you under all that crap?”

“That was a very long sentence, could you repeat it again for me?” Kyungsoo said drowsily. Jongdae rolled his eyes, dabbing some kind of ointment on his fingers and drawing a symbol over Kyungsoo’s forehead.

“The whole point is that the spell won’t really affect what you’ve been feeling. In fact, it might magnify your ability to speak with the earth. That is, if you survive,” he added hastily.

“Are you going to start the spell now?” Kyungsoo asked.

“In a bit. Just relax and I’ll do all the work.”

“Will it hurt?” Kyungsoo asked, not daring to move in case his head fell off; it felt detached from his body.

Jongdae didn’t answer him for a long while. Kyungsoo thought maybe he didn’t hear his question, but then he said quietly, “It probably will.”

*

In Lycanfort, Jongin abruptly stood up while Hongbin was still speaking. His heart stopped, sinking into his stomach as he tried to believe what his senses were saying. Kyungsoo’s scent had disappeared, his voice was no longer audible from where he sat. Kyungsoo was gone, but where to? Jongin moved away from the table to walk towards the exit, abandoning conversation but within a second Hongbin stood at the door, hands glowing yellow.

“I can’t let you leave,” he said flatly, eyes meeting Jongin’s angry gaze. “What did you do to him?” Jongin growled, trying to push past Hongbin. He lifted his hands, yellow shining in Jongin’s eyes for a split second before he felt his hands being forced together behind his back.

Jongin resisted, pulling away as hard as he could, but the force only pressed down harder. Hongbin tutted at him. “I wouldn’t do that, Kai. The more you struggle, the tighter it gets,” Hongbin said, tone matter-of-fact. Jongin looked over his shoulder and saw yellowish gold restraints around his wrists, cutting off the circulation to his hands.

Wonshik got up, sending a flash of red around the café with a wave of the hand. Some people had gotten up to protest and protect their King, but Wonshik had them pinned to their seats with his magic; no one was getting in or out without them knowing.

Hongbin caught the devilish glint in Jongin’s eye and flicked a wrist at him, pinning him to the wall. Chairs and tables flew away as he stuck Jongin on the wall with his magic. “Don’t Phase, Kai, or you’ll break your arms. And it won’t help your case in any way because Kyungsoo’s already gone to Europe.”

“What do you want?” Jongin bit out angrily, enraged that he had been deceived by Jongdae’s friends. He refused to believe that he might’ve known their malicious intentions; surely he had Jongin’s best interest at heart—

“Kyungsoo wants to go through with the spell. You know, the one where he might die,” Wonshik said to him, standing by the door and daring everyone who walked past to enter. The café wasn’t near the festival, but some people noticed the red shield over the entrance and the vicious looking vampire standing at the entrance.

“Why would he want it, he knows it’s too dangerous,” Jongin argue, struggling against the yellow magic holding him back. It was tight and hard to breathe, but he had to try, he had to because they had Kyungsoo captive in Europe.

“I don’t know about what he’s told you and what he didn’t tell you, but there’s supposed to be a letter somewhere for you to read that explains it. I’m not going to tell you anything because it’s highly likely that you won’t believe me, but that’s the truth. It’s your choice if you want to believe it,” Hongbin shrugged, glancing out the window.

“Is Sehun or Baekhyun coming yet?” he asked.

“I don’t know, I can sense Sehun, but he’s not heading here. Baekhyun smells far away but I think he might be on his way here,” Wonshik informed. Jongin yelled in frustration. “Baekhyun betrayed Kyungsoo?” Jongin shouted, eyes turning yellow in an instant.

“He’s only on Kyungsoo’s side, Kai, don’t get me wrong,” Hongbin started to say, but cut himself off when Jongin really started to Phase, trying to break free from the restraints Hongbin had cast on him. “Stop, you’re gonna break your arms—” Hongbin ran over and tried to loosen his restraints but Wonshik stopped him.

“Don’t let him go, he’ll kill us—”

“Then where’s Baekhyun, he needs to get back before Kai breaks all his bones,” Hongbin cried, expanding his magic to create a force field, allowing Jongin to Phase and to stand on all fours, but apart from that he was afraid that Jongin would kill them if he somehow managed to get himself out of the force field.

Someone banged his fist on the glass repeatedly at them, and Jongin caught sight of Baekhyun at the door, holding a scrunched up letter in his hand. He roared and raged in the little force field, growling and scratching against the walls. Wonshik waved him over and Baekhyun pushed past all the chairs, handing the letter to Wonshik.

“Give it to him,” Baekhyun said, pointing to Jongin in the force field. Jongin bared his teeth at Baekhyun, a deadly promise in his eyes should he ever escape. Wonshik passed the letter to Hongbin, who slipped it into the force field with a squeak when Jongin nipped at his fingers. “Don’t be so mean, we’re just doing what Kyungsoo wants us to do,” he complained.

Jongin sniffed at the paper suspiciously, checking it for Kyungsoo’s scent. Baekhyun neared the force field, trying not to get too close. “Kyungsoo wrote it in front of me, Kai. It’s for you,” he said, keeping his tone light. Wonshik rolled his eyes. “He’s not a baby, Baekhyun, he’ll read it if he wants to.”

“But Kyungsoo wanted me to have him read it!” Baekhyun wailed when Jongin kicked it aside, pawing at the force field violently.

“We’ll just have to wait till he calms down then,” Hongbin said, pulling a chair to sit down. “Wonshik, you’ll have to help me enforce the force field because I am _tired_ , babe, I had to do all the talking just now and it was so difficult…”

Baekhyun inched away from them, taking a cautious seat on the ground beside Jongin. “Hey,” he said, bringing a hand extra close to the forced field. Jongin lunged at it and he snatched his hand back fast enough to miss Jongin’s sharp, snapping canines.

“Guess you still don’t like me then. Um, Kai, you should really read the letter, like now, before you start to feel… weird.”

Jongin gave him a suspicious look. “Why would I want to betray Kyungsoo, Kai, think about it. I’ve known him since forever, I’ve known him since he started liking boys, and I’ve known him since he started loving you. I have no reason for you to distrust me, and I think you know it. Maybe you don’t believe Wonshik and Hongbin here, but they were only distractions—”

“ _Paid_ distractions,” Hongbin interrupted. “I wouldn’t be doing this for free, just so you know.”

“Well, you heard them, and as much as this might sound kind of rude, this is all Kyungsoo’s fault, alright, so can you just Phase back into a human and reading the fucking letter?” Baekhyun exclaimed, pointing at it. It was already a little worn around the edges, but the words written in it was the important part. Jongin had to read it, or else they’d be here all night until Kyungsoo started to feel the effects of the spell, and by then Baekhyun didn’t know how it would affect Jongin. 

Jongin sat down on his haunches, peering at Baekhyun with intelligent eyes. “I’d read it now before midnight. The spell has to be cast at midnight for it to be a little safer.”

Jongin still didn’t budge, waiting for Baekhyun.

He sighed exasperatedly, throwing his hands up in the air. “Just like Kyungsoo, so fucking stubborn! Alright then, since you don’t want to Phase. Kyungsoo came to me, Jongdae and Sehun during the camping trip while you were still sleeping. He said that he wanted Jongdae to move forward with the spell because he was done waiting for safe solutions; he just wanted to be with you. And if you don’t believe me that Kyungsoo’s been hiding something from you, then explain this: He had a dream, didn’t he?”

Jongin looked away into the distance. “He had a dream, and it involved Yifan. I know he told you because you both were late for dinner that day. Whatever reason he told you, Kai, whatever shit he might’ve said like, ‘Oh, I must’ve had the dream because I might die soon,’ is true.

He was worried about dying because of _this_ spell and because he was afraid Yifan would be there waiting for him on the other side if he _did_ die. I wouldn’t say hiding the truth from your partner is the best thing but Kai, you gotta believe me; he’s doing this for _you_. Kyungsoo doesn’t want to wait anymore! His reasons? I don’t know! But maybe you’d know if you Phased and read his damned letter.”

Jongin looked at the letter, nosing it cautiously. “It’s real, Kai, there’s no reason for us to forge a letter,” Baekhyun said, sounding frustrated. He got up, heading to the exit while shaking his head.

“Where are you going?” Hongbin called. “I did my work here,” Baekhyun replied without turning back. “Whether Kai wants to read the letter, I can’t force it, but Kyungsoo will want to know he has the letter. I’m gonna go back to Europe now ‘cause I have to be there for him. Keep him safe, will you?” Baekhyun said, pointing at Jongin in the forced field.

“What choice do we have?” Wonshik responded. Baekhyun laughed, opening up a Portal and walking through it. “Read the letter,” Baekhyun said to Jongin again, waving at him before he disappeared.

*

In Europe, Kyungsoo’s head was spinning as Jongdae chanted over him, sprinkling crushed spice and ashes all over him. He felt like he was about to be marinated and cooked for dinner, but he didn’t say anything, just laid still to try and get his head to stop spinning like a disco ball.

“I’m going to start the real thing soon, Kyungsoo. Anything you want me to do or say if this doesn’t work out?” Jongdae asked, scattering blue magic over Kyungsoo and letting it hang over him like a curtain. “Just tell Jongin I love him,” he mumbled. There wasn’t much else he could think of.

“’Kay. Oh, Baekhyun’s here, I can smell him,” Jongdae informed him. He said something over Kyungsoo, and the blue magic reached down to Kyungsoo, picking up the ash and spice from his body. The liquid that had soaked into his clothes evaporated and reformed as liquid again, rising to mix with the blue magic. It waited for Jongdae’s command, hovering over him like a wet, transparent worm.

There was a loud slam and a few heavy thuds before Baekhyun crashed into the room, collapsing on the ground in fatigue. “I’m here, BFF! I’m here,” he yelled at Kyungsoo, reaching for him. Kyungsoo must’ve been drunk, because he shed a tear or two at the sight of Baekhyun, dropping a hand over the edge of the table to touch his fingertips.

“I’m afraid,” he whispered, hiccupping loudly. Jongdae swirled his finger around the blue magic, mixing it all up while muttering foreign words to himself.

“Don’t be, Kyungsoo, Kai has the letter so it’s gonna be alright,” Baekhyun said, shaking his fingers.

“Did he read it?” Kyungsoo breathed.

Baekhyun shook his head slowly. “He Phased, so I gave him the letter and explained a bit, but I couldn’t force him to Phase back, so…” Kyungsoo shook his head, shedding another tear. A part of him had hoped that maybe Jongin would read the letter while Jongdae said the spell over him, but that was a silly wish.

“Guys, midnight is coming,” Jongdae said, snapping his fingers at Baekhyun. Baekhyun heaved himself up, moving to stand behind Kyungsoo’s head. “Hold Kyungsoo down, Baekhyun. I don’t know how the spell might work, but just in case,” Jongdae said to Baekhyun. He placed his hands over Kyungsoo’s shoulders while Jongdae checked his watch, counting the seconds down under his breath.

His hand holding a piece of paper trembled as midnight ticked down to ten seconds, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one…

 _“Mother of Earth, maker of all things visible and invisible…”_ Jongdae murmured, summoning the earth. Kyungsoo could feel the surge of undeniable power in the room, an omniscient presence making itself known in the room.

 _I love you, Jongin_ , Kyungsoo thought, desperately repeating this thought over and over again to see if maybe he could use the telepathic call on Jongin now that they were far away from each other. Jongdae continued to chant over Kyungsoo’s body, voice getting increasing loud in volume as the ground started to shake and the glass bottles began to dance and tip over.

 _I love you, Jongin I love you I love you,_ God _, I love you,_ Kyungsoo thought, shutting his eyes and reaching up to touch Baekhyun’s hand on his shoulder. The thrumming started up again, sending throbs through Kyungsoo’s head. The light bulb above Jongdae’s head popped, plunging them into darkness. It wasn’t necessary by then for any of them. Kyungsoo had his eyes closed, couldn’t see the green energy rising from the ground and heading for Kyungsoo’s body.

Warm energy swept through Kyungsoo’s insides, making him feel like he was swimming in a bizarrely hot pool. The heat turned up a notch and started to feel uncomfortable but it quickly rose to unbearable, sweltering heat seconds later. Kyungsoo moaned piteously, holding onto the thought of Jongin and forever, his smile and his gentle touch across Kyungsoo’s face.

 _My love,_ his voice whispered in his head.

Kyungsoo was in pain now, felt pain building inside him but Baekhyun’s grip on him grounded him, kept him from screaming in agony.

_My love, what have you done?_

_I don’t want to be with you if I can’t have forever,_ Kyungsoo thought, biting on his lip to hold back a scream. Jongdae placed a hand on Kyungsoo’s chest, drawing the same symbol he had drawn over his forehead while chanting:

“Mother of Earth, maker of all things visible and invisible, reveal to this Son of Adam your grace, grant him your strength and life force! Mother of Earth, maker of all things visible and invisible, reveal to this Son of Adam your grace, grant him your strength and life force…” Jongdae repeated these last few words over again, drawing and redrawing the same symbol over Kyungsoo’s chest.

Kyungsoo felt like he was being split into two people when he felt a wrenching in his chest. He could hear what was happening in the room, could even feel Jongdae’s finger on his chest but he was falling, falling so fast down a rabbit hole that he scrambled to look for something to grab on, anything to break his fall.

At that thought, he clenched his fingers instinctively. Instead of his own skin, he felt something warm in his hand. Kyungsoo wanted to look at it but didn’t Yifan say don’t let go? If he opened his fingers, he might drop the thing while he was still falling, descending down into darkness…

All the green energy in the room forced its way through Kyungsoo’s chest, disappearing under his skin and making his veins, his eyes and his breath glow an eerie green as Kyungsoo screamed, kicking his legs impulsively. Jongdae drew the symbol one final time before it was over.

A heavy atmosphere suddenly weighed down on all of them in the room. Kyungsoo choked mid scream, his body seizing up. Jongdae’s finger sizzled where he touched Kyungsoo and he flinched away from Kyungsoo with a hiss. Baekhyun’s fingers burned as well, holding on a second longer before he turned away with black fingertips. Kyungsoo went limp on the table when they released their hands on him, eyes closed shut.

“What’s happening?” Baekhyun asked fearfully.

“Wait for it,” Jongdae said, holding out a hand.

For ten seconds or so, there was nothing. Kyungsoo lay still on the table, hands by his sides and head turned to one side. He looked like he was sleeping peacefully.

Then slowly, green tendrils made its way out of Kyungsoo’s fingertips, forming glowing green vines around the table and Kyungsoo’s body. They even had the shape of leaves as it seemed to go over Kyungsoo’s body with a mind of its own, seemingly inspecting Kyungsoo’s body and soul to see if he was a worthy candidate to receive the earth’s life force.

The vines glowed brightly when Kyungsoo shifted, just for a second. “Jongin,” he whispered, a tear sliding out of his eye. The teardrop was green in colour, dripping down to the table top. At that, the vines seemed to have what it needed and suddenly jerked, sifting away into sand on the ground.

Jongdae and Baekhyun hardly dared to breathe. They approached Kyungsoo cautiously, tapping his wrist to see if he burned like a second ago, but he seemed normal now. His green teardrop still glowed green beside his face, but Jongdae didn’t dare touch it. He hoped it was a good sign that Kyungsoo still had his pulse; he was alive, but for how long?

“He’s breathing, Jongdae. Is that a good thing?” Baekhyun asked. Jongdae shrugged. “I don’t know, this spell is usually done on vampires. He should be fine, but maybe we did something wrong, maybe the spell didn’t work,” Jongdae said, checking Kyungsoo’s pupils. They were an ordinary brown, not a bright green.

Baekhyun brushed Kyungsoo’s sleeve up and gasped at his greenish veins, glowing brightly under his skin like neon lights. They glowed with a pulse according to his heartbeat, although his skin still felt normal to the touch. “I don’t think you failed,” Baekhyun said slowly, lifting up Kyungsoo’s arm to show Jongdae his veins.

“I might’ve failed badly or I might’ve cast the spell a bit too well,” he replied solemnly, checking Kyungsoo’s other arm. They were the same, and the veins on his neck were glowing green too under his collar. They weren’t sure what to do with this, but it seemed like a good thing.

“Now, if only he’d just wake up and tell us how he feels,” Baekhyun said, stepping back to observe Kyungsoo as a whole. Jongdae couldn’t figure out what else to do as well, now that he knew Kyungsoo was still alive.

Then Kyungsoo coughed, spattering blood into the air.

 


	19. I was a liar, I gave into the fire (I know I should’ve fought it; at least I’m being honest)

When Kyungsoo finally came to, he realized there was no more pain. There was no Jongdae chanting cryptic words over his chest, no Baekhyun holding him down while he writhed in pain over the table in Wonshik’s apartment, nothing. The sound of bottles rattling and rolling on the ground was gone as well.

Only wind remained, cold with a bite to it as it blew through his hair, causing goosebumps to appear all over his skin. Kyungsoo opened his eyes slowly.

As he thought, there was also no broken light bulb hanging over his head. He was supposed to be underground; where would the wind have come from? No, Kyungsoo was here again, in the greyish, monochromatic field where he met Yifan in his dreams, Yifan who was supposed to be dead with his ashes burnt to a crisp. He was here in his own personal hell.

He didn’t know what to feel. Clutching a fist to his chest, he sat up against the blustering wind, squinting into the distance. What was he doing here again? Why was he here, alone and feeling cold and scared when he was supposed to be in Wonshik’s apartment, insides burning to see if he could prove how much he loved Jongin?

 _Jongin_ , he thought.

His heart softened at the thought of him. There had to be some plausible reason for Kyungsoo to be here. Jongin was worth every minute in this hellish field if it meant forever with him. And he knew he had to hold onto that. It was the only way he could anchor himself in the real world, no matter how real this field seemed to be.

Or maybe Jongdae failed. The smile in his heart faded. That would certainly explain why he was here, the only place that could really scare him, the only place where Jongin could not reach him. Something sharp and angular pricked his hand when he clenched down on it.

“So we meet again, Pureblood.”

Kyungsoo didn’t even flinch in surprise when he heard the sound of Yifan’s velvet voice. It was almost expected; Yifan and all his fine airs came with this place now. There was no other way he could look at this place, couldn’t separate the two from one another.

He turned around, saw Yifan standing on the dry, parched grass like a benign angel with a white rose held to his nose for an inhale. His skin was as flawless as the day he died, his robes a blinding white. Yifan was many things, including being close to perfection, but he was anything but kind, otherwise he wouldn’t be here in this muted nightmare.

“I guess we’re here again, yeah,” Kyungsoo replied, voice low. He shivered when the wind picked up. Yifan motioned to his clenched fist with the white rose, hair brushing over his face in gentle strokes.

“Aren’t you curious to see what it is you’re holding onto, dear Kyungsoo? The only thing you have left of your humanity that will always remain?”

Kyungsoo hesitated in his reply. Is that what it was? Well then, he was curious, extremely so. What was it in his hand that he instinctively held onto when he was falling through darkness, when he was kicking on Wonshik’s table in pain? He didn’t know and wondered if Yifan knew otherwise.

“I know that you told me not to let go. Are you going to contradict your own words and make me let go of whatever it is in my hand now?” Kyungsoo asked. It was an evasive answer and they both knew it, but as long as they seemed to be in Kyungsoo’s dreams and not the other way around…

“I don’t have to _make_ you do anything, Kyungsoo, I’m really just here to…” he paused for the right word.  “To move things along, if you will,” Yifan smiled, flinging the rose aside. The wind caught it mid air and took it away sailing, a white speck against a mottled, dirty coloured sky.

“But it does pique my curiosity, Kyungsoo, it really does. Don’t _you_ know what you’re holding onto?” Yifan asked, tone almost sing song and light. “Because it’d be strange to see someone wanting to change who he is fundamentally yet not know why he’s doing it.” He sounded genuinely curious.

“Of course, I do, you bastard, I’m doing this for Jongin,” Kyungsoo gritted his teeth. He thought he felt the ground shake beneath his feet for a moment, but it was so fast he wondered if he imagined it. Yifan didn’t seem to notice and continued, taking a few steps away from Kyungsoo’s direction as if to stroll through the field.

“Then you can guess what it is you’re holding in your hand, no?” Yifan countered, clasping his hands behind him as he walked. Kyungsoo followed, not trusting Yifan to just walk away without attempting to hurt him somehow.

“No, because I don’t want to let go to know what it is. Isn’t it enough to _know_ that I am holding onto something that means a lot to me?”

Yifan stopped, his eyes glowing a bright ruby red as he directed his gaze to Kyungsoo. He really was beautiful, a fallen angel cast out from the Garden of Eden for his sins. _That’s what he is_ , Kyungsoo thought. Sinfully beautiful.

“No, Kyungsoo, it is not enough to just know there is something you are holding onto without knowing what it is. Then what are you doing here, hm? What are you doing here, standing on the edge of existentialism and nothingness if you don’t know what you want? Dabbling into magic when you know very well you can’t change your destiny without paying a fatal price… _What. Are. You. Doing. Here?”_

“I don’t owe you anything,” Kyungsoo cried, taking a step back. This time he really felt the ground shake, an unmistakable tremor as he felt fear strike his heart. He wanted to look in his hand so badly, to know what it was that could last through his humanity and follow him through immortality, but _I can’t let go no matter what he says. I don’t_ want _to._

Yifan strode towards him then, death in his gaze. He grabbed Kyungsoo by the collar and lifted him up in the air with one hand. Yifan shook him roughly, a harsh expression on his face. “What are you doing here, Kyungsoo? Why are you here if you insist on knowing without believing?”

“What does it matter to you?” Kyungsoo spat, arms flailing by his sides. His sleeves rode up because Yifan had pulled him up by his collar, and he saw his veins glowing green. Kyungsoo gasped, staring at them.

Yifan smirked at his reaction as if he’d been waiting for that. “ _This_ is why it matters to me. Did you think you could take from the Earth without credible reason? You could have it all, Kyungsoo, have everything you want, if only you knew what you hold in your hands.”

Something jarred Kyungsoo when Yifan said that. He stopped flailing and stared down at Yifan, into his red eyes.

“Vampires don’t care about Earth,” Kyungsoo said slowly. “The real Yifan wouldn’t want to know what was in my hand on the behalf of Earth. He would want to know because he would want to exploit it.”

Yifan released his grip on Kyungsoo while still holding out a hand to him, keeping him three feet in the air without laying a finger on him. He looked proud, almost satisfied at Kyungsoo’s reply.

“You’re not Yifan,” Kyungsoo said. It was a statement, not a question.

“What does it truly matter which form I take to speak with you, Pureblood? What does it matter, when it is fear that reveals the true colours of a man?”

Kyungsoo hardly blinked when suddenly the atmosphere changed. Yifan wasn’t just Yifan anymore, he was in his real form now, wings and claws out for all to see. They were in the air, high up in the skies above Lycanfort while a war seemed to rage on at ground level. Kyungsoo had never seen any of this, but it felt distinctly familiar, like an old friend.

A glance down at the ground, and he saw a white wolf battling a familiar silhouette. It was Jongin, it had to be, fighting Tao off while the others were working just as hard to keep the castle intact.

He knew Yifan couldn’t have managed all of this; he wasn’t, had never been talking to the dead Yifan he knew.

“This memory, although unremembered by you, is what plagues you, Kyungsoo. Not guilt over murder of a King, not guilt over making the wrong choices,” Yifan said slowly, letting the words sink in. “How do you know?” Kyungsoo asked, swallowing hard. He didn’t even know how he wasn’t falling through the air as they spoke, felt nervous to think that at any given moment, any wrong move and Yifan could send him down on a death descent to the ground.

Yifan’s true form laughed, a coughing, ugly sound.

“Why do you think your veins pulse with pure energy? Why do you think this form speaks to you?” Yifan rasped, claws twitching by his sides.

Kyungsoo could hardly breathe. If he was imagining all of this, then that would mean he was still alive. And if he was still alive, wouldn’t that mean… Jongdae had succeeded after all? Did he really manage to use Earth’s life force to extend Kyungsoo’s life span?

“Am I even alive?” Kyungsoo blurted. Yifan cocked his head to one side, giving him a once over glance. “I ask the questions here, Kyungsoo. The question is not whether you’re alive, but whether you know why you should be alive.”

Kyungsoo didn’t know how to answer the question. Because he wanted immortality? Because he wanted what he could never have, a life with Jongin where he didn’t need to worry about when his life would end? Being honest would seem blunt, and in the face of the reason why his veins were glowing green, the answers seemed shallow and selfish.

“I’m here because I—I love somebody. I love Jongin, a-and I want—”

“What do you have in your hand?” Yifan asked, cutting him off. Kyungsoo frowned. He didn’t know, and he didn’t want to let go. How was he supposed to know?

Yifan frowned at him. “You have a reason as to why you’re here. You say you love someone, yet you know not what you hold in your hand?” His claws fisted, and Kyungsoo’s body was jerked helplessly towards Yifan. He yelped when Yifan’s claws nicked his skin, blood trickling down his claws as Yifan gripped his neck, threatening to crush his throat.

“I will only ask you this one more time, Do Kyungsoo. If you don’t answer, what you seek will never be yours. This love you say you have will mean nothing, _nothing_ if you cannot answer this simple question. _What do you have in your hand_?” Yifan growled, his breath warm on Kyungsoo’s face.

His mind raced to answer Yifan’s question. He couldn’t let go, so that would mean he’d have to guess. But what was it? Yifan had said something to him in his previous dream when he told him not to let go, something about making the mistake of letting go of love. But Kyungsoo wasn’t going to make the same mistake now, he wouldn’t let go.

_Unless…_

Unless what Yifan had meant at the time was not about letting go about, but about _what_ he let go of.

 _Is it really that simple?_ Kyungsoo asked himself, looking into Yifan’s red eyes now. Everyone had told Kyungsoo that during the war Yifan had been so focused on killing Kyungsoo that he hadn’t noticed how Jongin already had Tao pinned to the ground, his moment of death imminent while Yifan could only think of his enemy instead of his own mate. 

 _That was what killed him_ , Kyungsoo thought. The fact that he momentarily lost sight of what was important to him and got the only person who ever loved him killed. Yifan let go of love in that sense. Was Kyungsoo going to make the same mistake like him?

  _The only thing left of my humanity even when everything else has changed…_

“I know what I’m holding,” Kyungsoo said, breathing heavily. He was starting to feel warm, and Yifan’s death grip barely left him any space in his throat to speak. “My love for Jongin. It’s the only thing that wouldn’t change about me.”

Yifan released him, letting gravity pull him towards the ground. Kyungsoo felt the familiar dizziness that came with falling, felt the ground coming up to meet him even as Yifan’s figure started to sift into ash, his red eyes burning with conviction and triumph. The sky swirled above Kyungsoo, clouds spinning to create a thunderstorm.

“You have done well, Kyungsoo. You have your wish,” Yifan’s voice whispered in his ear.  There was a loud _whump_ as Kyungsoo fell on his back a second later and blood sputtered from his mouth.

*

Jongin crushed the letter in his hands, tears falling from his eyes. His heart felt like it was about to break apart, shatter into pieces the way all vampires died. He felt like he was dying too, gasping for breath and placing a hand over his chest to calm his beating heart. All he could think of was _why, my love, why?_

He sent out his thoughts, his senses, desperately trying to feel for Kyungsoo’s presence in Lycanfort. He had to be here, this had to be a lie, Kyungsoo wouldn’t lie like this to him, wouldn’t do it. He knew the consequences, couldn’t have thought to go through with this just because they had so many Europeans working on it. What if something went horribly wrong?

_My love, tell me you’re alright._

Silence. Jongin clutched his head and moaned, feeling pain slice through his brain like a sword.

“The spell,” Hongbin murmured from outside the force field, directing his words to Wonshik. Jongin guessed he meant the spell from Kyungsoo’s letter, but why did he feel like he was about to explode or fall apart soon?

“He wouldn’t leave me,” Jongin said softly, tears rolling down his cheeks. The letter dropped in a crushed ball at his feet. Wonshik got up from his seat while Jongin clutched his hands to his head, covering his face from them. He felt delirious, the world spinning as he tried to make sense of the words in Kyungsoo’s letter.

 _I’m sorry I lied to you… for the better_ … _I’ll see you in the next life…_

“From what Jongdae told me, he’s doing this for you. Try to see it from his perspective,” Wonshik argued, misunderstanding the way Jongin writhed on the ground in pain. Jongin couldn’t breathe through his tears, through the ringing pain in his head and chest. “Let me go,” Jongin breathed, taking his hands away to scratch and grasp at the force field, looking for a flaw, any way out of the force field.

The air felt too hot all at once, suffocating Jongin in the small space. _Where are you, my love?_

Still, only silence. “We can’t do that,” Hongbin said incredulously.

“Everything hurts,” Jongin choked, clenching his fingers down on the force field. It bent to his will momentarily. He pulled with all his strength, an impulsive move, and Hongbin gave a cry of surprise when the force field tore apart with a loud sound, like fabric tearing into two separate pieces.

Jongin’s hands grasped and scratched against the ground, the pain in his body and heart threatening to tear him apart.

“Everything _hurts_ ,” he enunciated, fingers finding purchase. He flung it away when he realized it was the leg of a chair; it wouldn’t help him in any way. Wonshik dodged the flying chair by inches, dropping to the ground.

“I need to find Kyungsoo,” Jongin rasped, shutting his eyes when pain gripped him so hard he lay on the ground, paralyzed for a moment.

“S-Shit, Wonshik, I think it’s really the spell! Knock him out, will you, and I’ll grab him,” Hongbin ordered, pulling Jongin up roughly by his arms. Jongin grunted at the pain, the uncomfortable feeling of being stretched out when all he wanted to do was curl up and die.

Jongin screamed when something burn the back of his neck, sizzling his skin. It was worse than the time he first came in contact with silver; a mistake he never wanted to repeat. Hongbin held Jongin’s arms back by hooking his own over them, leaving his front open to whatever Wonshik had to do to knock him out.

“No, let me go, please, I need to find my love,” Jongin gasped, breathing with much effort.

The smell of burning flesh and smoke stank in the air as Wonshik rushed over to hold both hands over Jongin’s head. That was all Jongin could remember before Wonshik’s hands clamped over his temples and darkness pulled him under. He gave in, the last of tears rolling down his cheeks.

*

Kyungsoo felt like he had been plucked out of the reality he knew like an ice cube taken out from a glass of water, only to be dropped back in when he least expected it. A rising lump in his throat made him cough out what tasted like blood before his eyes fluttered open and he sat up, feeling liquid rush to his nose and mouth.

He could hear muffled gasps and assumed it was Jongdae and Baekhyun; floating lights told him he was still in Wonshik’s apartment. That much he glimpsed before he choked back on his blood and gestured frantically for something to puke into, shutting his eyes as if it could hold everything back.

“Um,” Baekhyun moved first, rushing out of the room in a flurry of fabric and returning with a plastic bucket in time for Kyungsoo to puke blood and vomit into it.

“Are you… okay?” Baekhyun breathed, voice trembling as he held the bucket in front of Kyungsoo while he retched. Kyungsoo gagged, gut clenching in nauseous knots inside of him. He gripped the edge of the table, taking a shaky deep breath through his nose. Something pricked his skin almost painfully, enough to make him glance at his hand to see what it was.

 _Jongin’s necklace_ , he realized, when he saw what was lying in his palm all this time. _Did I somehow remember it was in my hand?_ He remembered ripping it off but certainly didn’t think he would hold onto it, even through his dream, or promotion, whatever it was.

“Hey,” Baekhyun said softly, putting a hand on his shoulder. Kyungsoo suddenly felt very light headed, an all body weakness taking over almost instantaneously once he realized he felt it.

Kyungsoo swayed towards Baekhyun, catching a glance of his tearful face. “Hey,” Kyungsoo replied head lolling back. He felt too tired to even hold his head up.

Baekhyun choked back a sob. Jongdae, stoic and silent beside him a minute ago, sniffled softly behind his hand. Baekhyun placed the plastic bucket down slowly, holding Kyungsoo’s face up to him. “You… Are you feeling okay?” he asked.

He wasn’t sure what his reply should’ve been. _Yes, I’m okay?_ Or _no, I’m feeling shitty, but thanks for asking?_ Instead, Kyungsoo said, “Well I don’t think I’m dying yet, if that’s what you mean.” Jongdae wiped his tears away with both hands, exhaling loudly.

“That’s good, Kyungsoo. Really good.” 

Baekhyun hugged Kyungsoo gently, letting Kyungsoo put his head on his shoulder even though blood and puke was dripping from his mouth. He started sobbing into Kyungsoo’s sweater, which he didn’t really mind. The front of Kyungsoo’s sweater was ruined anyway, with stains of blood and puke. They probably wouldn’t come out any time soon.

Jongdae looked like he had trouble breathing as he dug into his pocket and found something. It was a cell phone, Kyungsoo noticed, and he punched in a few numbers, putting the phone to his ear. Kyungsoo didn’t know anyone who still owned a flip phone, but apparently Jongdae was one of them.

“Do you even get reception down here?” he asked, patting Baekhyun’s back awkwardly as he cried.

Jongdae laughed half heartedly, looking paler than usual. “Y-yeah. You’d be surprised—Hongbin, is that you?” he suddenly cut himself off. Kyungsoo wanted to listen in, but he walked out of the room, out of ear shot.

Baekhyun released Kyungsoo from his hug, cupping Kyungsoo’s face with both hands. His tears were bloody, red tracks running down like little streams on his face. “Stop crying, you’re wasting your blood,” Kyungsoo muttered, wiping some away with a hand.

“You’re alive, Kyungsoo,” Baekhyun croaked, repeating the words as if he couldn’t believe it and needed to say it to hear it with his own ears. “I—I know.”

“And you’re not… You’re not just alive, you’re well enough, I can tell, and—” he took a deep inhale to calm himself, face losing what little colour it had. “Am I alright, really? Could you check me up?” Kyungsoo asked, checking his arms for greenish veins. Perhaps it had only been in his dream; his skin was a normal, pale colour with no visible veins to be seen.  

Baekhyun held his hands to Kyungsoo’s temples. Hands glowing a bright white, Kyungsoo shut his eyes, waiting to feel something from Baekhyun’s hands, but there were none. Instead, the only thing he could feel was a bit of warmth emanating from Baekhyun, and nothing more.

“Organs are fine,” Baekhyun remarked, closing his eyes. “No internal bleeding…” He frowned.

“Then where did all that blood come from?” Baekhyun said, almost to himself. Kyungsoo furrowed his eyebrows. Even _he_ could tell that it was weird if his internal situation was totally fine. “Are you sure I’m totally fine?” he asked. He didn’t want to drop dead later.

Baekhyun jiggled his shoulders, pressing his hands to Kyungsoo’s temples. “I’ll see if you’re completely fine, not just internally.” Kyungsoo nodded, letting Baekhyun do his thing. The back of his neck itched for a moment, but he resisted the urge to lift up a hand and relieve his itch, keeping still for as long as possible. In the next room, Kyungsoo could hear a tinny voice, probably Hongbin’s, on the phone with Jongdae.

“I really don’t see anything wrong with you, Soo, really, your kidneys are fine, as is the rest of you. I can feel that you’re tired but—” Baekhyun frowned again. Kyungsoo lifted an eyebrow. Baekhyun took his hands away, opening his eyes and staring down at Kyungsoo with a searching look.

“What?”

Baekhyun pursed his lips. “You do have a wound on you, Kyungsoo, but that’s not even the weirdest thing I realized about your body. You’re… completely fine.”

Kyungsoo wondered if Baekhyun had been affected by the spell somehow. Did it accidentally fry a few of his brain cells?

“Isn’t it good to know that I’m completely fine?” Kyungsoo asked slowly. Baekhyun shook his head. “No, no, you’re completely, perfectly fine, Kyungsoo! No one’s ever completely fine, there’s always damage to the kidneys, scarred skin, or an overworked liver but, Kyungsoo. You don’t have any of that. It’s like… I don’t know, like you’ve been reborn again.” Baekhyun sounded almost envious.

“Am I even human anymore?” Kyungsoo snapped. If he was so healthy then why was he feeling so damned lethargic? Any minute now, and he’d drop to the floor like a rock soon.

“That—” Baekhyun hesitated. “You have a burn on the back of your neck, Kyungsoo. Like a serious burn whereas the rest of you is just…” Baekhyun gestured eloquently at Kyungsoo’s length.

“I don’t have a fucking burn—What the _fuck_ , Baek, it hurts,” Kyungsoo hissed when he reached behind his neck and pressed his fingers there, only to have the spot sting like hell. He twisted around, trying to get a look at it. Baekhyun tugged his sweater down a bit, spotting the burn right away. “Oh wow, Soo, this is just— _wow_.”

“You know that’s not helpful.”

“If I had a mirror I’d show you, but you’d probably know what it is if you touched it.”

Kyungsoo reached for the spot again, touching the sore skin tentatively. “You mean it’s not just a regular burn?” he asked, running his fingers over what felt like scores of lines burned across the top of his spine. Baekhyun shook his head. “I think it’s safe to say that the spell probably worked, Kyungsoo, it—can you guess what it is?”

“No. Feels familiar though, like I’ve felt it before,” Kyungsoo grunted, arm feeling sore from all the unnecessary stretching. “It should feel familiar. It’s this symbol,” Baekhyun said, moving away from Kyungsoo to pick something off the ground. It was a piece of paper, and he flipped around a few times before he shoved it into Kyungsoo’s hands.

“This. It’s a rune, standing for Earth,” Baekhyun tapped a finger over a scrawl of untidy words and little arrows centred around a symbol that looked new yet old all at once.

Kyungsoo knew where he’d seen or rather, felt the symbol before. Jongdae had drawn it over and over again on his chest during the spell; it was unmistakable. Two vertical parallel sides mirrored each other, forming a pair of pointed wings at the top and a squared off bottom. It could’ve meant anything to Kyungsoo, but now that _this_ was burned into his skin…

“Yeah, I know this,” Kyungsoo mumbled, palming the skin at the back of his neck. What would Jongin think of it? He wondered if Jongin was alright.

“Hey, did you ever—”

“Kyungsoo?” Jongdae’s head popped through the doorway, cutting Kyungsoo off midsentence. They both stared at him. “Yeah?” Kyungsoo responded, swinging his legs over the edge of the table. He felt like jelly long enough; he thought it might be better to move about a bit.

“Don’t. You might need to sit down for this,” Jongdae bit his lip, holding his phone out. “What’s wrong?” Kyungsoo asked, thoughts immediately flying to Jongin. _Is he alright, is he fine, is he hurt somewhere or something?_ “Nothing too major,” Jongdae said nonchalantly, but avoided Kyungsoo’s gaze. Jongdae wasn’t the sort to feel bad being a bearer of bad news. Something must’ve happened.

“Tell me,” Kyungsoo insisted. Baekhyun placed a placating hand on him. “You’re too tired to move or argue too much, Soo, don’t push your luck,” he warned.

“It’s nothing,” Jongdae said, trying to smile weakly at Kyungsoo. His smile faded when Kyungsoo furrowed his eyebrows at him.

“Alright,” he sighed, raking a hand through his hair. “Kai. It’s Kai, he um. He was with Wonshik and Hongbin for a while, and around the same time I started casting the spell on you, he became a bit weird and said ‘Everything hurts’ and that he had to look for you… Things like that. They had to knock him out but, Kyungsoo, he’s fine—”

“Why was he hurting?” Kyungsoo mumbled weakly, feeling his heartbeat accelerating in his chest. Nothing about this was okay at all.

“He could’ve tried to call you telepathically and touched your mind at the wrong time. There are many possibilities,” Jongdae replied. Kyungsoo tried to stand up, but Baekhyun held him back, putting an arm across his chest to prevent him from getting off the table. “Can we go and see him now?” Kyungsoo said, trying to push past Baekhyun’s figure.

“As soon as we get you into clean clothes and make sure you’re alright and good to go, Kyungsoo, let’s not rush to conclusions just yet—”

“Why is _he_ passed out? I’m the one who’s supposed to be hurt,” Kyungsoo cried, voice shrill and loud. He had to make sure Jongin was alright; this wasn’t supposed to happen. Kyungsoo felt his hands throb for a moment, the way it did when the earth was sending him signals. He wouldn’t have paid it any mind, except Baekhyun was suddenly jerked away from Kyungsoo, and he slammed into Jongdae abruptly with a squawk. An audible crack sounded when they crashed into one another and fell while Kyungsoo stared in amazement.

“What was that?” he said, looking around the room and expecting to see an intruder. There was only a plain white wall behind him, nothing else. Kyungsoo stared down at his hands. _Did I do that? Was that me?_

Jongdae pushed Baekhyun off himself with a scowl, his shoulder visibly dislocated. He shoved his arm back into the socket with a grunt before Kyungsoo could even dredge up a response at the sight of his limp arm twisted the wrong way. The sound of china grinding against each other grated on his ears, making him cringe.

“Wha…?” Baekhyun looked around blearily, feeling his joints and bones to make sure everything was still in place. He sat up with an audible crunch although where it came from, he wasn’t sure.

“What was that?” Kyungsoo repeated, holding his hands out at them. It wasn’t normal to see your best friend spontaneously crash into someone else, was it? Jongdae got up, dusting himself off. “That was you, ya lil’ shit. The spell really did work on you,” Jongdae grumbled, rearranging his hair once more. Baekhyun got up as well, testing out his limbs.

“It did, Jongdae. Kyungsoo has the rune on the back of his neck,” Baekhyun said informatively. “That was… something,” he said to himself, craning his neck to one side.

“That—that couldn’t be me,” Kyungsoo said softly, looking at his hands in horror. What if it had been Jongin instead of either one of them?

“Sure it was. I told you it could magnify some of your abilities as well as give you new ones if you survived. Guess telekinesis was one of them,” Jongdae said, jiggling his arm to make sure it was fine. Kyungsoo placed a hand over his mouth. “I can’t see Jongin like this,” he whispered.

“Oh, so now he says he doesn’t want to see him,” Baekhyun muttered, massaging his head. “Your shoulder is a lot harder than it looks,” Baekhyun said to Jongdae, jabbing his collarbone with a finger. “You broke it with your head, I don’t think I’m the hard one here,” Jongdae snapped.

Kyungsoo’s hands trembled as he stared down at them, wondering what kind of damage he could do without realizing it. He clenched his fists slowly, trying to hold everything in, quash all the turmoil in him down in a box and took a deep breath to calm himself.

“Kyungsoo, don’t worry about it,” Jongdae said, catching the worry in Kyungsoo’s posture. “We’re not badly hurt and we don’t really feel all that much pain.”

“It’s not… It’s not you two,” Kyungsoo breathed, placing his fists slowly on his lap.

Baekhyun looked up at him. “Well, what is it then, if you’re not sorry for throwing me off my ass?” Baekhyun asked.

“I—I couldn’t control it. I thought it was nothing when it happened, and then you just flew at Jongdae like that,” Kyungsoo’s frame shook like a leaf. Jongdae approached Kyungsoo slowly, holding out a hand to him. “Kyungsoo, don’t worry about your… abilities. We’re here now, and since the spell obviously worked, you’ll have the time to work it out with us. Remember that,” Jongdae said gently.

“What if it was Jongin in Baekhyun’s place?” Kyungsoo whispered, shuddering at the thought of doing the same thing to Jongin. Werewolves weren’t as long-lasting as vampires. “You’re not gonna do that to him, don’t worry,” Jongdae said soothingly, placing a cautious hand on his shoulder and patting him gently. “Telekinesis is part of a vampire’s abilities, Kyungsoo. We can help you control it, okay, don’t think too hard about it.”

Kyungsoo suddenly felt a little woozy, and put his head into his hands, moaning softly. “I don’t want to hurt Jongin,” he whispered, closing his eyes.

 _Jongin, you have to be okay, I don’t want to know what I can do if you’re not okay_ , he prayed. Kyungsoo just hoped he was knocked out cold and that was the end of it. He didn’t want Jongin to be vegetative in any way because of him. _That’s not how this is supposed to be_ , Kyungsoo thought, biting down on his lips.

Jongdae was saying something to him again when Kyungsoo felt a stir in his mind, like he was struggling to wake up from his sleep. Except he wasn’t asleep and this certainly didn’t feel like a dream.

 _Jongin?_ Kyungsoo thought instinctively. His name echoed in his head without a reply. That stirring feeling was still there, but he couldn’t figure out why.

_Jongin, is that you?_

“… get some clothes. Baekhyun, you gave Kyungsoo the okay already?” Jongdae’s voice faded into consciousness. Kyungsoo blinked and looked up at him. “What?” he frowned. Baekhyun and Jongdae ignored him. “Yeah, he’s fine now, besides the burn on the back of his neck, but I think it’s just a sign the spell worked.”

Jongdae only spared Kyungsoo’s burn a glance and a curt nod before he got up. “Yes, well. There’s more than one indication that the spell worked. Sehun should be coming around soon to pick you up, Kyungsoo, so I suggest you get changed,” Jongdae said, motioning to Baekhyun.

Baekhyun left the room for a second and returned with a bag. He flung it at Jongdae, who caught it and placed it into Kyungsoo’s hands. “You’re gonna be fine, Kyungsoo, I’m sure of it,” he smiled, patting the bag. Kyungsoo stared up at him blankly. He hadn’t heard anything Jongdae had said, but if Sehun was going to come soon, then maybe it meant they’d be leaving in a bit.

 _I’m gonna see Jongin then_ , Kyungsoo thought. _I hope he’s alright. Alright enough to forgive me, that is_. Seeing Jongin right now suddenly didn’t sound like a great idea. Jongdae and Baekhyun left the room, taking the plastic bucket with them to let Kyungsoo change into a spare outfit someone had thought to pack for him. It made him think about what he should say to Jongin now that he was going to see him.

 _What do I say?_ He took his clothes off numbly, throwing his dirty clothes to the ground. _Hi, Jongin, I’m really sorry about everything._

It sounded generic and insincere, down to every last word. Kyungsoo tried not to think about how Jongin might react; he could be done with Kyungsoo and not want to have anything to do with him. That was definitely a possibility, but it felt too raw for Kyungsoo to face at the moment. He supposed it was because he had never really thought about anything beyond the spell; the first thing he’d do, the first thing he’d say to Jongin… _I’ve been obsessed about me dying that surviving now sounds so surreal._

Kyungsoo hoped he would find the right words to say to Jongin. After lying and practically putting them both in danger, he needed the eloquence to convey his feelings for Jongin, as well as regret for lying. 

If Jongin would still have him, Kyungsoo swore to himself that he’d never have to write a letter like that again. He didn’t know if it was the fatigue or the after effects of the spell, but he’d never felt more determined in his life in that moment.

*

Sehun couldn’t come any faster. He was panting when he barged through the apartment door, wild eyes searching for Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo was seated on the sofa in the drabbest clothes Baekhyun owned, staring blankly at Wonshik’s artwork for the last ten minutes.

There was really nothing on it besides a splatter of paint on the upper left side of the white canvas. He briefly wondered if Wonshik and Hongbin were dating or maybe mates, even. They seemed like the kind of carefree, light spirited people most artists were.

“Kyungsoo? Are you alright? Can you move about?” Sehun asked, going to Kyungsoo’s side once his eyes landed on him. “I’m a bit tired, but it doesn’t matter,” Kyungsoo replied, moving forward. Jongdae walked out of the kitchen, drying his hands on a flowery apron. “Hey, Sehun. We’re not done yet so you can just take Kyungsoo,” Jongdae said.

“Hi, Sehun!” Baekhyun yelled from somewhere in the room Kyungsoo had just left. He was in charge of mopping the room up in case there was any bloody residue left on the ground. It’s rude to puke blood and your dinner in a stranger’s apartment, and someone has to clean it up,” Jongdae had said to Baekhyun. Needless to say, his protests were in vain.

“Hey,” Sehun said breathlessly, glancing around the apartment. “Kyungsoo, do you think you can walk?”

He ignored his question, standing up. “Is he… okay?” Kyungsoo asked uncertainly.

“Who? Kai?” Sehun replied, furrowing his eyebrows. Kyungsoo nodded gingerly. “I’ll tell you about it on the way. C’mon, let’s go,” Sehun said, holding out a pale, white hand to him. Kyungsoo took it curiously, his cold touch chilling Kyungsoo to the bone.

“We’re leaving now,” Sehun announced, guiding Kyungsoo out of Wonshik’s apartment. “Why can’t you Portal us out of here?” Kyungsoo frowned.

“You can’t make a Portal underground. Portals only work above ground, or in the marble hall. Safety precaution,” Sehun said efficiently, closing the door softly behind him. They rushed through the corridor even though Kyungsoo was starting to feel a bit dizzy from moving so much all at once.

“Sounds like a hassle,” he replied distractedly. “Yeah, it is. You’re feeling a little weak, Kyungsoo, d’you want me to carry there?” Sehun asked, glancing at him as they walked briskly. Kyungsoo shook his head. “No, that won’t be necessary. I’m sure it’s because I puked a while ago.”

Sehun shrugged. “So… how is Jongin?” Kyungsoo asked tentatively as they walked briskly.

“He’s physically well except for this burn on the back of his neck. It’s healing and all, but he’s not waking up,” Sehun frowned. Kyungsoo tightened his hold on Sehun. “Why not?” he asked softly.

“I have no idea why. He’s supposed to wake up once _you’re_ awake, but,” he shrugged his shoulders. “I’m hoping when you get there he can wake up. Luhan’s freaking over him right now.” So that was why Sehun was in such a rush. “Did he, um… Did he say anything? About me?” Kyungsoo squeaked embarrassingly. Sehun shook his head apologetically.

“I wasn’t there to see him read the letter if that’s what you mean. Only Wonshik and Hongbin were there, so you’d have to ask them.”

“Oh. Are they still there?”

“Yeah. In case he wakes up and there’s an emergency,” Sehun said. They reached the sharp turn and walked through it. Sehun kept a hold on Kyungsoo’s wrist like he was afraid that Kyungsoo would get lost or run away, but in all honesty, Kyungsoo didn’t like the way the underground place felt. He didn’t feel it when he first came, but now he could tell that the earth, the rock was artificial and manmade. It was like eating one of those boiled sugary cherries; it was aesthetically pleasant but left a saccharine feeling in its wake.

They emerged out into the marble hall, as Sehun called it, soon enough and he opened up a Portal quickly while Kyungsoo shut the door gently, and made his way to the Portal, where the door of Kyungsoo’s bedroom awaited just beyond.

“Should I just go?” Kyungsoo asked dumbly. Sehun nodded. “Luhan’s in there. Tell him I’m waiting outside,” Sehun said, holding a hand out like he was parting a curtain. Between the lethargy in his bones and his anxiety, Kyungsoo could hardly think or feel anything else. He just walked through the Portal, and stood before the door, placing a hand on the slab of wood.

He could hear a silent _whoosh_ as Sehun shut the Portal and waited patiently behind him, a lingering, comforting presence lurking about.

 _Jongin_ , Kyungsoo thought. He waited to see if there was that rippling effect in his mind again.

It didn’t disappoint; the stirring reoccurred, this time significantly stronger than when he was in Europe. It _had_ to be him. There was no one else who could be this intimate with Kyungsoo. He closed his eyes, hand on the doorknob. _I’m here_ , Kyungsoo thought, trying to send his emotions to Jongin.

Kyungsoo didn’t know what else he could do now that he knew things weren’t the same anymore. Would he lose control and send everyone in the room flying if Jongin never woke up? Or what if this was all he could ever get from Jongin, a little brush against his mind and nothing more?

“Kyungsoo?” Sehun said softly.

Kyungsoo didn’t even realize he was crying until Sehun called his name. He turned around a bit to look at Sehun. “Will you be okay?” he asked, concerned. Kyungsoo nodded.

“I’m just afraid of what will happen if I walk through this door. Will he—Do you think he’ll forgive me?” Kyungsoo asked. The earth slowly started to pulse when he briefly imagined walking through the door. Luhan would be at Jongin’s bedside, and Jongin would be on the bed, still and unmoving like when he was poisoned by Yifan and went into a coma of sorts.

 _He’s there_ , Kyungsoo thought. He could feel it.

Sehun shook his head behind Kyungsoo, chuckling softly. At his laugh, Luhan shifted in the room, and Kyungsoo felt it at once. Luhan knew they were there and was listening on them.

“That’s not how mates work, Kyungsoo,” he said gently, stepping forward to twist the doorknob. The door opened with a loud clack. “He’ll always forgive you.”

Kyungsoo quickly wiped his tears away, entering the room. Sehun shut the door behind him while he shuffled awkwardly on the carpet, avoiding Luhan’s gaze. He didn’t need the Earth to tell him that Luhan was staring at him intently.

“You smell different, Kyungsoo,” he said softly, voice muted in the quiet room. It was still dark outside, and if he concentrated hard enough, he could feel the crowds by the riverside, dancing and eating in celebration of the New Year. He had never thought he’d spend New Year’s like this. Kyungsoo glanced up, saw Luhan seated by Jongin as he had imagined, but with a hand on Jongin’s forehead.

“I do?” Kyungsoo asked, climbing the three steps to walk towards Jongin’s still body on the bed.

Luhan nodded, face blotchy from his tears. “Thank God it worked, Kyungsoo, because if it didn’t—”

“I know. It was dangerous and… I shouldn’t have done that to you. Or Jongin,” Kyungsoo added, gesturing at him. Jongin’s hair stuck to his forehead, face still covered with a light sheen of sweat. Luhan patted Jongin’s cheek, getting up. “I don’t—You don’t really have to apologize to me, Kyungsoo. I was just afraid that I’d lose my brother and you on the same day,” Luhan said. Kyungsoo moved to comfort Luhan, but he held up a hand.

“It’s okay. I’m okay. You’re here now,” Luhan said, teary eyed. Kyungsoo smiled weakly at him. “Are we good?”

“We are. Is Sehun waiting for me outside?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay.” Luhan stepped forward to kiss Kyungsoo on the cheek. “I’ll be outside if you need me.” Kyungsoo couldn’t have felt more grateful towards Luhan. He didn’t know how to express his gratitude but squeezed his hand before he left, then turned to Jongin on the bed, waiting for Luhan to shut the door.

When they were alone, Kyungsoo climbed on the bed, kicking off his shoes and threw the sheets over himself. He settled into Jongin’s side, draping Jongin’s arm around himself. Kyungsoo felt too exhausted to say anything while standing, so he closed his eyes and waited.

“Jongin?” he said softly. Jongin didn’t respond right away, but Kyungsoo felt him in his mind, felt him fighting his way back to the surface. He exhaled loudly, then inhaled Jongin’s scent, a mixture of sweat, some kind of herbal soap and something recognizably Jongin.

“I’m sorry I lied.” Jongin’s hand twitched a bit. Kyungsoo lay his head on Jongin’s chest, reaching to hold Jongin’s hand.

“I didn’t know when opportunity would come knocking again, and I—I answered the door even if you told me not to, Jongin, even when I didn’t who would be waiting. And I’m sorry if you—if I made you angry because of that. Really. Sehun said that you’d always forgive me, but I wish you wouldn’t, Jongin, I really wish you’d just—”

“Be furious with you?” Jongin rasped, voice hoarse. Kyungsoo opened his eyes, looking up at Jongin. His eyes were still closed, but Kyungsoo could tell he was awake now.

“Did you feel me in your thoughts? The way I felt you in mine?” Kyungsoo asked. Jongin nodded, shifting his position to accommodate Kyungsoo by his side. “You could never feel me in your thoughts before.” Kyungsoo knew what he meant by ‘before’.

“Hate me, Jongin,” Kyungsoo said, his voice wavering ever so slightly. “Hate me so you can see what’s good for you, and Jongin, it’s not me.” Jongin’s throat bobbed as he thought of his reply.

“How would I go about doing that?” he replied hollowly.

“I don’t know. Just think about all the times I hurt you and broke all my promises to you. And all those times when you had to worry about me when it should’ve been the other way ‘round,” Kyungsoo’s tears dotted the sheets, sitting in a perfect half sphere for a brief second before bursting and disappearing into a dark stain.

“I’m so sorry, Jongin,” Kyungsoo said, pressing his face into the sheets.

Jongin’s hand squeezed around Kyungsoo’s fingers, tangling their fingers together. His arm drew Kyungsoo close, and he cuddled into Jongin’s embrace, wishing he could just die from all his emotions. He didn’t know if this was all worth it, the anxiety and sadness, betrayal and bittersweet happiness.

“I know. You said so in your letter, love, and I’ve already forgiven you, so I can’t take it back,” Jongin replied, kissing Kyungsoo’s head.

“Why would you want me still, when I lied to you about so many things the past few days?” Kyungsoo croaked, feeling angry at himself and at Jongin. Where did he find the heart to trust Kyungsoo again without even starting a fight with him, at the very least? That, Kyungsoo thought he could handle. But not this. Not this quiet acceptance that Kyungsoo would always treat Jongin the way he did.

“When I had every chance to tell you about everything, from the last morning we spent at the lake right up to the festival, I could’ve said something—”

“I know you didn’t want to hurt me. I respect that, my love, but you did not need to spare my feelings. If you had told me just before you disappeared off to Europe, I would’ve let you go.”

“You’re angry.”

“Not angry. Disappointed, maybe.”

“That’s even worse,” Kyungsoo said, pulling his hand away from Jongin’s grasp. Jongin caught his hand, and he tugged him closer, looking down at Kyungsoo’s face. “Disappointed that you didn’t think you could be honest with me.”

“That’s not your fault, you idiot,” Kyungsoo muttered. Jongin sighed, brushing his arm over Kyungsoo’s shoulder in an attempt to soothe him.

“I feel like it is.”

Kyungsoo felt worse that he did before. There was nothing for Jongin to be guilty or disappointed about, but he _did_ feel that way, and maybe this was worse than lying to Jongin.

“You smell like Baekhyun, my love,” Jongin remarked.

“These are his clothes. Look, I get it if you… don’t want to forgive me, Jongin. I—I guess I got so caught up with hiding the truth from you that I really didn’t think about this part, so if you don’t feel like having me around, Jongin, I understand.”

Jongin frowned, looking down at him. “I would still like to have you around, my love, I don’t see how being away from you can help us in any way.”

Kyungsoo sat up, looking at Jongin with tears in his eyes. “I can’t keep doing this to you. How do you think it makes me feel, when I look at you and see how much you love me and then I think about all I’ve done to you—”

Jongin shushed Kyungsoo gently, brushing away his tears with his fingers. “But we’ll be together, my love, and I can be here for you while you learn how to let go of your guilt. It doesn’t matter what you’ve done or what I’ve done to us, as long as we’re together, love. As long as I know at the end of every day that I have you by my side, I’ll always forgive you for your mistakes. Do you hear that, love? There’s nothing for me to forgive anymore.”

“Why aren’t you as angry as you should be about me lying to you? I know I hurt you,” Kyungsoo demanded. Jongin winced at that. “It’d be hard for me to stay angry at you for long, love, when all I want is for you to be happy. I’m sorry that you think I deserve to be angrier or harder on you,” Jongin lifted Kyungsoo’s chin up and kissed him gently.

“Can you be happy with me, my love?” he asked softly. “Will you let me try to make you happy and make the most out of the time we have together?”

Kyungsoo sniffled, looking down at a freckle on Jongin’s wrist. “The worst part about all of this is that I don’t want to say no, Jongin. I’ll always want you here with me, and if you want to make me happy, I wouldn’t know how to refuse.”

“Then don’t refuse any longer, my love. If you think you’re broken, _min kjærlighet,_ then let me try to fix you,” Jongin placed their foreheads together, touching Kyungsoo’s mind with his own.

 _I love you,_ min kjærlighet _. And I will for the rest of my life._

Kyungsoo placed a hand on Jongin’s cheek, felt his heat warming his cold hands. “I love you too. You’re the only one who can put up with me this way.” Jongin smiled, kissing Kyungsoo’s lips. “I’d be delighted to put up with you for an indefinite amount of time. Will you keep your tears away now for me? If you want to stay, you might need those tears for another time.”

Kyungsoo stifled a smile, rubbing his eyes. He was too tired to really think about things anymore. If Jongin said they were okay and that all he wanted was for them to be together, then maybe Kyungsoo wasn’t in a position to argue otherwise. Besides, he was starting to get tired about lying to Jongin and himself. It was just easier to lie in Jongin’s arms beneath the cosy sheets and let his mind lull itself to sleep.

“Does the burn on your neck have anything to do with mine?” Jongin asked, when Kyungsoo was just about to drop off. Kyungsoo hummed in his throat. “The spell worked and I threw Baekhyun at Jongdae without touching him,” he mumbled.

“Excellent work, love,” Jongin smiled, kissing him chastely on the cheek. _Sleep well, my love._


	20. The Letter

Dear Jongin,

 It’s been almost a month since I first met you, not counting the days we weren’t together. Looking back, we’ve done some pretty crazy things, including writing a letter frighteningly similar to this one, but I can’t say I regretted any of them. It’s been almost a month, not counting the days we weren’t together, Jongin, because that’s the way I feel when it comes to you. Like time has stopped, and you’re the only one who can set everything back into motion.

I don’t have a lot to say. I wish I had the courage to say all of this to you face-to-face, but I know that if I did, you’d never let me go. And I have to go, otherwise it wouldn’t be someone else giving you this letter to read.

Obviously you must know by now that I’m not there in Lycanfort. Honestly, I don’t know where I’m going to go, other than the fact that it’s most definitely Europe. But you mustn’t worry, Jongin, because I’m not going alone. I’ll be there with Jongdae and Baekhyun, maybe even Sehun if he can get away from Luhan, and they’re good people, Jongin. I trust them enough to do what I think I should do for us.

I’m gone, probably to Europe, because I want them to cast the spell over me, Jongin. I’m sorry to say that I made this decision on the second day of our camping trip, which means plenty of time to tell you everything, but I’m fairly sure I kept my mouth shut. I’m sorry I lied to you and I’m sorry you had to find out this way. I know what you’re thinking though; _Oh no, there goes Kyungsoo once more!_

I’m not proud to say that I didn’t quite think this thoroughly enough, but I am going to be honest because I love you and I want you to know the truth. It’s for the best, Jongin, it really is, if I come through with it. Think of all the years we can spend together, the life we could live. You have to know that I wish I did survive, and that my last thoughts are probably of you. If I don’t survive, it also merits another apology.

I’m sorry I couldn’t be the one to see you through this life.  I hope the last thing I said to you was something nice, like I love you, or I’ll be back soon. At least I can give you a good, last memory of me before I’m gone. But the memory of you and I will always last, and I hope we both can hold onto that, in flesh and in spirit. Maybe I’ll haunt you forever if I can. You’d probably like that. I promise I’ll try.

But if all my trials and apologies fail, and I don’t see you within 24 hours after you read this, then there’s nothing more I can really say. I’ll see you in the next life, and we can restart all over again. Hopefully, it’ll end better and I won’t have to write another letter like this to you again.

 

Always yours,

Kyungsoo.  ~~~~


End file.
